Family Law Workshops

PLEIS-NB offers a series of free workshops that are designed to help people who are trying to handle their own family law matters in New Brunswick. The series is called Navigating the Family Justice System. Each workshop is presented by a New Brunswick lawyer and runs for about 2 hours.

The topics in the series are:

  • Changing a Child Support Order,
  • Doing Your Own Uncontested Divorce,
  • Separation: Legal Considerations,
  • Family Law Matters for Immigrants in New Brunswick, and
  • Preparing for a Family Court Hearing.

All of the workshops are available in both English and French and are offered periodically in each language.

Note: New Brunswick is divided up into 8 Judicial Districts. Currently, the Moncton and Saint John judicial districts use different family law procedures than other regions do for changing a child support order and filing for divorce.

These counties are in the Moncton and Saint John judicial districts:

  • Albert
  • Charlotte
  • Kent
  • Kings
  • Saint John
  • Westmorland

Moncton and Saint John follow Rule 81 of the Rules of Court, while the rest of New Brunswick follows Rule 72. We offer different versions of our Changing a Child Support Order and Doing Your Own Uncontested Divorce workshops for each set of rules. If you are signing up for one of these workshops, check to make sure that the rules match your location. You can find the location details on the registration page for the workshop, in the title or description.

The Changing a Child Support Order webinar is for individuals who want to change an existing child support order or agreement because of a change in circumstances. The webinar explains the steps for completing forms, preparing affidavits and financial statement, and creating the Record on Motion.

The application process for changing a child support order is different depending on where in New Brunswick you live. New Brunswick uses two distinct procedures for changing a child support order: Rule 72, and Rule 81, also known as the Case Management Model.

PLEIS NB offer 2 different webinars on this topic: one for judicial districts where Rule 72 applies, and one for judicial districts where rule 81 applies. Each presentation only covers the steps and procedures required for changing a child support order using that rule.

See the drop-down headers below to learn where each of these Rules apply.

Rule 72

Rule 72 is used in all judicial district except for the Moncton and Saint John Judicial Districts. These judicial districts are Bathurst, Campbellton, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, and Woodstock, and include the following areas.

Bathurst Judicial Districts

  • Gloucester County

Edmundston Judicial Districts

  • Madawaska County
  • The Parish of Drummond
  • Town of Grand Falls

Miramichi Judicial Districts

  • Northumberland County

Campbellton Judicial Districts

  • Restigouche County

Fredericton Judicial Districts

  • Queens County
  • Sunbury County
  • York County

Woodstock Judicial Districts

  • Carleton County
  • Victoria County (excluding Parish of Drummond and Town of Grand Falls)

Rule 81

Rule 81, also known as the Case Management Model, is used in the judicial districts of Moncton and Saint John, which includes following counties:

Moncton Judicial Districts

  • Albert County
  • Kent County
  • Westmorland County

Saint John Judicial Districts

  • Charlotte County
  • Kings County
  • Saint John County

This webinar is intended for individuals applying for an uncontested divorce and have also settled all their family law matters like parenting time, decision-making responsibility, support, and marital property division. Contested divorces are more complicated than uncontested divorces and often require a lawyers help. PLEIS NB does not have information on applying for a contested divorce.

The webinar will review the steps and procedures for obtaining a divorce by Affidavit of Evidence. You will learn how and when to file the Application or Petition, serve documents, how to get proof of service, prepare your Trial Record, and request your Divorce Certificate.

The application process for divorce is different depending on where in New Brunswick you live. New Brunswick uses two distinct procedures for applying for divorce: Rule 72, and Rule 81, also known as the Case Management Model. See the table below to learn where each of these Rules apply.

For this reason, PLEIS NB offer 2 different webinars on this topic: one for judicial districts where Rule 72 applies, and one for judicial districts where rule 81 applies. The presenter will review the steps and procedures for getting a divorce specific to one of the rules in each webinar.

Rule 72 – All Other Judicial Districts

Rule 72 is used in all judicial district outside of the Moncton and Saint John Judicial Districts. These judicial districts are Bathurst, Campbellton, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, and Woodstock, and include the following areas.

Bathurst

  • Gloucester County

Edmundston

  • Madawaska County
  • The Parish of Drummond
  • Town of Grand Falls

Miramichi

  • Northumberland County

Campbellton

  • Restigouche County

Fredericton

  • Queens County
  • Sunbury County
  • York County

Woodstock

  • Carleton County
  • Victoria County (excluding Parish of Drummond and Town of Grand Falls)

Rule 81 – Judicial Districts of Moncton and Saint John

Rule 81, also known as the Case Management Model, is used in the judicial districts of Moncton and Saint John, which includes following counties:

Moncton

  • Albert County
  • Kent County
  • Westmorland County

Saint John

  • Charlotte County
  • Kings County
  • Saint John County

This workshop helps immigrants, newcomers, refugees, and community agencies understand legal rights and obligations under the laws of New Brunswick and Canada in relation to separation and divorce issues.

This webinar helps individuals who must attend a court hearing in the Court of King’s Bench, Family Division. You will get an overview of the courtroom, tips for preparing your case, information about what happens on the day of the hearing, tips for the courtroom, and how to present evidence.

This webinar is for individuals who are at the early stages of separation and divorce. It gives information about options for getting help, resolving family law matters, and staying out of court. It explains the various family law issues that need to be addressed, and describes the different types of parenting arrangements, and how child support is calculated.

We typically run the Navigating the Family Justice System webinar series twice a year depending on demand and availability. The current schedule is posted on FamilyLawNB.ca

PLEIS NB relies on the generosity of New Brunswick lawyers to deliver our family law webinars. We are always looking for volunteer lawyers. Any New Brunswick lawyer who facilitates one of our webinars is eligible for CPD credit from the Law Society of New Brunswick equal to the length of the webinar. Each family law webinar typically runs for 2, translating into 2 hours of CPD credit.

For more information about delivering a family law webinar or volunteering in general, please visit our section on volunteering for lawyers.