(LPFC)Attend the first appearance

The judge uses the first appearance to sort out your case and make sure that:

• you've provided each other with all the right information, and
• you understand what issues you agree about and what you don't.

The judge will have a long list of cases to hear. They won't have much time to spend on any one case. This means you won't have a chance to tell them much about your case. You won't usually have a chance to get the orders you asked for in your application at this time.

The judge will tell you what to do next. For more information, see Rule 6 of the Family Court Rules.

The judge may:

• Make an interim order (for example, for support), particularly if you and the other person agree. This order is temporary, until the family case conference or hearing date.
• Order a family case conference. A family case conference is a one-hour meeting with a judge and the other person, where you'll try to settle some of the issues around parenting. Usually the judge will order a family case conference before setting a hearing date. For more information, see Family Case Conferences in Provincial Court.

If the other person doesn't show up

The judge can make orders if the other person doesn't appear. But they might be reluctant to make an order when the other person isn't in court. The judge can:

• issue a summons to require the other person to appear, or
• require that notice of the next hearing be sent to the other person