View source for Appearing in Court by Phone

===Normally, parties must attend court in person===
In a court proceeding in BC, the people directly involved in the lawsuit (called the '''parties''') must usually attend '''in person''' at any court hearing, or have a lawyer appear on their behalf.

If a party does not show up, a court may rule against them.

This rule applies generally to proceedings in Provincial Court and Supreme Court in BC. There are some exceptions, however, where parties can ask to attend court by phone. We explain these here.