New Civil Procedure Rules in British Columbia, Effective July 1, 2010

The British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General has announced that new rules of civil procedure for Supreme Court of British Columbia proceedings will be brought into effect on July 1, 2010. There is also a new fee schedule for court fees. You can read the press release here.

The intent of the changes is to modernize the rules, reduce the expense to litigants, and make the amount of process involved in a lawsuit proportionate with the importance of the suit and the amount in dispute.

I have skimmed the new rules. My initial reaction is that some of the changes may reduce expense, but some may have the opposite effect. Some of the rules are clearer than the current rules. The language is more modern, but some anachronisms remain.

I plan to write posts on some of the rules and forms, especially as they relate to estates and estate litigation.

You can read the rules here. You may also wish to refer to the B.C. Justice Review Forum, which includes some key features here.