Difference between revisions of "Case Conferences in a Family Law Matter"

The basic purposes of a JCC are to review the claims each side is making, determine where there is agreement, and see whether there is anything other than a trial which will resolve the claims in dispute. JCCs are relatively informal affairs, and most of the time everyone sits at a large table with the judge or master who is hearing the JCC. JCCs are private. oOnly the parties and their lawyers are allowed to be there. They are also held on an off-the-record basis, so that nothing said in the JCC can be used against anyone later on.

Different judges and masters will handle JCCs in different ways. Some judges and masters are very hands-on; others take a more distant, judicial approach. Some are very keen so try and settle a dispute, and will take on almost a mediative function; others are content to let areas of disagreement alone and focus on known areas of agreement instead. Some judges and masters will provide an informal opinion about the likely result in the case; others won't. There are no guarantees that a JCC will be run in a particular way.