Your first Court hearing is likely to be a Case Conference before an Assistant Registrar of the FJC. Both you and the Defendant will be notified of the Court date by letter.
A Case Conference is conducted in chambers — meaning that the hearing can only be attended by those directly involved in the matter. You do not have to attend a Case Conference yourself if you have a lawyer. Similarly, if the Defendant has a lawyer, his or her lawyer will attend the Case Conference.
At the Case Conference, the Assistant Registrar will check if all the necessary documents have been filed in Court. If the Defendant is contesting your application, he or she will have to file an affidavit in reply.
If there is a possibility for an amicable resolution, the Assistant Registrar may refer the case for mediation or counselling.