Each year, over half a million Supreme Court civil and family documents are filed in B.C. The responsibility to ensure a submitted document is accurate and correct falls to legal counsel and to litigants.
In conjunction with the introduction of the new Supreme Court civil and family rules, the B.C. Supreme Court judiciary and Court Services Branch (CSB) have developed a set of minimum standards for documents that will be accepted for filing. The standards do not apply to divorce or probate documents.
The standards identify the basic information necessary for a document to be accepted for filing. They ensure a consistent approach, across all court registries, in filing Supreme Court documents.
The document filing standards are described in an administrative notice issued by the Supreme Court July 1, 2010.
As of July 1, 2010, court registry staff in B.C. will check Supreme Court civil and family documents for compliance with the standards. Documents that meet these standards will be accepted for filing. Documents that do not meet the standards will be returned to the filer.
Registry staff will check documents to ensure they contain the basic information necessary to be accepted for filing.
The acceptance of a document for filing by the court registry does not mean that the document complies with the requirements of court. It is up to you to make sure all the documents you submit are accurate and include all information required by the court.
Registry staff can provide information about court procedures and processes. Staff cannot give you advice about your legal problem or help you complete your forms. Legal advice must come from a lawyer or legal professional.
