Judges
Judges are the people who are responsible for making the decisions in family court cases if people are not able to resolve their differences themselves, with the assistance of lawyers or through mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution.
A judge will read and listen to all the evidence as well as the arguments made by the people or their lawyer and then make an order, which sets out what will happen in the future in terms of any family law issues the people need to resolve.
Sometimes more than one judge will be involved with the case, depending on how often the people have to come to court.
Judges are appointed by both the federal and provincial/territorial governments. Usually, in larger communities, each courthouse has a judge who has administrative responsibilities to ensure the courts operate smoothly, scheduling is done in an efficient manner and so on.
Court clerks
Family court clerks, who are employees of the provincial/territorial government, play a number of roles both in and outside the courtroom.
Connect with court staff
It’s a good idea to visit the court in your community to see how it operates and to introduce yourself to the people who work there. This will prove helpful when you are supporting a woman who is having challenges with her case.