Are you considering whether or not you will handle a legal matter, particularly a matter that is going to court, without the assistance of a lawyer? The following resources, as well as those listed in the other Preparing for Court sections (see the menu on the left), and specific areas of the law may inform your decision.
The Rules of Court as published by Alberta Queen's Printer are available for free download in PDF format: Volume 1 - Alberta Rules of Court AR 124/2010 at 692 pages and Volume 2 - Alberta Rules of Court Supplemental Information at 506 pages.
This primer, published by the National Self-Represented Litigants Project, is packed with the information and practical self-help tips for preparing yourself, emotionally and technically, for court. It includes a section on self-care tips; a section on preparing for court; a section on appearing in court (generic and not specific for any one jurisdiction, family or civil courts); and finally a collection of ten top practical tips from self-represented litigants on “what works”. This 25-page PDF is available for free download.
This page on the Alberta Provincial Court website provides links to information on alternatives to going to court, where to find help with court forms, court procedures and protocols,and general information on criminal, family, youth, traffic, and civil courts.
if you have been named as a respondent in an application for leave to appeal, it’s very important to try to get legal advice as a first step.
The Supreme Court of Canada only hears select cases. It helps a lot to get advice on whether or not yours could be a case which the Court will hear.
This 20 page outline takes you through purpose and structure, how to prepare, consequences (what to do if you get an agreement and what if you do not), and is packed with practical tips on how to think about settlement strategy from mediators, judges and lawyers – and other SRLs.