Self-represented Litigants in Family Law Disputes: Views of Judges of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench

Abstract

The current study modified the instrument used in the survey of Alberta lawyers by Bertrand et al. (2012) to obtain the views of Alberta judges. The survey on Selfrepresented Litigants in Family Law Matters was conducted with judges attending the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Education Seminar held in Calgary, Alberta from 29 to 31 January 2014. The survey was distributed at the beginning of the seminar to 64 participants who were asked to complete it at some point during the conference and drop it off in a box provided in the conference room. A total of 32 completed surveys were returned, resulting in a response rate of 50%. The survey asked questions regarding respondents’ experience with family law in general and their perceptions of and experiences with self-represented litigants in family law disputes. In addition, participants were asked for their views on alternatives to the traditional model of legal representation in family law matters and on the potential utility of various measures intended to improve self-represented litigants’ use of the court system.