The Family Law Picklist is a drafting tool that can help with the construction of family orders in the Provincial and Supreme Courts. The Provincial and Supreme Courts maintain separate picklists, but they operate in the same manner.
The Family Law Picklists are a collection of DARS (digital audio recording system) codes used by court clerks to refer to certain wording for a family order. By drafting your orders with the relevant number codes, the order can be recorded very quickly by the registry and may speed processing time overall.
Provincial Court Family Law Picklist Example:
Within the picklist different clauses are given a code made up of a letter and a number. Each combination will refer to a single clause under a certain section of the Family Law Act. For example B11 refers to “Inform Guardians” and reads “(Name) and (name) shall have the obligation to advise each other of any matters of a significant nature affecting the child(ren)
B11 falls under the Parental Responsibilities section and refers specifically to ss. 40, 41 & 45(1)(a). of the Family Law Act. If your order were to include “B11” under “The Courts Orders that…” then the clerk would know to add the standard clause with the standard wording into your order. Where it is possible to use them, these codes allow for uniform structure and wording in the completion of family orders.
The picklist entries can also be used as standard clauses which can be copied and pasted into an order without the need to refer to the code. If you are drafting your own order then referring to the picklist will allow you to use wording easily recognized by the court registry.
Content reviewed August 29, 2023
- Supreme Court Family Law Picklist - Government of BC
- Family Law Act Orders Picklist - Government of BC
- Clicklaw Wikibooks JP Boyd on Family Law
- Tips for Drafting Provincial Court Orders - Legal Aid BC