What is Form F44?
Form F44 is the Notice of Trial in a BC Supreme Court family case. A party files it to set the family law case for trial using a trial date that has already been reserved or obtained through the court's scheduling process.
What happens after the Notice of Trial?
Once a trial is scheduled, a series of separate obligations can follow. Those can include trial briefs, a trial record, trial certificates, expert-report deadlines and, when required, a Trial Management Conference. Treating F44 as the end of scheduling is a common planning mistake.
The trial record is separate
The party who files the Notice of Trial is also responsible under Rule 14-4 for the trial record. The current Rule requires that record to include the prescribed pleadings and other specified material, including the cover page required by the Rules and current trial briefs. It must usually be filed at least 14 days before but not more than 28 days before trial, then promptly served on the other parties.
Divorce claims need an extra check
If the case includes a claim for divorce or nullity, Rule 14-4 restricts filing a trial record until a registrar-signed Form F36 certificate confirms that the pleadings and proceedings are in order. This is one reason a general trial checklist should be tailored to the claims actually in the case.
Cost planning
Trial preparation can become one of the most expensive stages of a family case. A useful cost plan separates tasks that require legal judgment from administrative preparation: organizing exhibits, chronology, disclosure and a clean issues list can reduce lawyer time, while decisions about evidence, witnesses, experts and legal argument may warrant professional advice.