PART 13: COURT HEARINGS AND EVIDENCE

13A: Conduct of Court Proceedings and Hearings-Related Matters 104. Attendance at hearings in the Family Justice Courts 105. Weekend / Public Holiday Duty Registrar and Judge at the Family Courts 106. Duty Registrar and Duty Magistrate 107. Request for urgent hearing before Duty Judge 108. Request for urgent hearing dates or urgent hearings prior to the filing of the application through the Electronic Filing Service 109. Requesting a hearing date through the Electronic Filing Service 110. Adjournment or vacation of hearing dates and part-heard cases 111. Absence of parties 112. Attendance of solicitors 113. Absence from Court on medical grounds 114. The Central Queue Management System and Central Display Management System 115. Precedence and preaudience of Senior Counsel 116. Court dress 117. Submissions and examination by leading and junior assisting solicitor 118. Applications under section 43(3) or 57(8) of the Adoption of Children Act 2022 or section 14 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934 119. Use of electronic and other devices 120. Publication of and reports and comments on Court cases 121. Production of record of hearing 122. Application for Court records and certification of transcripts for family matters 123. Access to case file, inspection, taking copies of documents and conducting searches 13B: Documents and Authorities for use in Court 124. Filing of documents and authorities for use in Court generally 125. Hearings in chambers 126. Formatting requirements and page limits for written submissions 127. Written submissions and bundles of authorities for special date hearings in the Family Division 128. Citation of written judgments 13C: Consents 129. Consent orders 13D: Evidence – Witnesses, Affidavits and Exhibits 130. Definitions 131. Witnesses 132. Giving of evidence by person outside Singapore through live video link or live television link in any proceedings (other than proceedings in a criminal matter) 133. Form of affidavits 134. Forms that are deemed to be affidavits 135. Non-documentary exhibits to affidavits 136. Documentary exhibits to affidavits 137. Affirming and signing of affidavits in Singapore before, and completing of attestation by, commissioner for oaths through live video link or live television link 138. Affirming of documents by persons who do not understand English, are illiterate or blind 139. Effect of non-compliance 140. Objections to the contents of affidavits of evidence-in-chief

To avoid doubt, the general rule is that all hearings in a Family Justice Court shall be heard in private pursuant to section 10(1) of the Family Justice Act 2014. Members of the public are not entitled to attend such hearings.

Notwithstanding sub-paragraph (1), a Family Justice Court may hear any matter or any part thereof in an open and public court, or by way of an open and public hearing, to which the public generally may have access, if the Court is satisfied that it is expedient in the interests of justice, or for other sufficient reason to do so.

Subject to any written law, the Court may, in its discretion, allow any person such as instructing solicitors, foreign legal counsel and parties to the matter, to attend any hearing in a Family Justice Court subject to space, security and the interests of justice. In exercising its discretion, the Court may consider a broad range of factors including:

the interest that the person seeking permission has in the matter before the Court; (b) the interests of the litigants; (c) the reasons for which such permission is sought; and (d) the Court’s interest in preserving and upholding its authority and dignity.&x20;

In allowing persons referred to in sub-paragraph (3) to attend hearings in a Family Justice Court, the Court may, at its discretion, impose the necessary conditions to be complied with.

The Duty Judge at the Family Courts may hear an urgent application from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays under the following circumstances:

where the applicant, being a lawful guardian or parent of a child, is seeking to restrain or enjoin another party from taking the child out of jurisdiction without the consent of the applicant; (b) the child’s departure from Singapore is so imminent that it is too late for the application to be heard on the next working day; and (c) there is a strong likelihood that the child, once taken out of Singapore, will not return to Singapore.

To request the urgent hearing of such an application, the applicant should contact the Weekend / Public Holiday Duty Registrar at 97241402 during the hours of 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

The Duty Registrar will only arrange for the hearing of the application before the Duty Judge if the applicant satisfies the Duty Registrar that the case meets all the criteria stipulated in sub-paragraph (1) and the application is so urgent that it cannot be heard the next working day. The Duty Registrar or Duty Judge may also give directions for the urgent hearing to take place remotely or, alternatively, with parties attending in person at any place as directed.

The Duty Registrar or the Duty Judge may, in lieu of filing, direct the applicant to tender the application and supporting documents by email or in hard copies. In this case, the applicant is to provide a signed undertaking that all documents (including the originating application if applicable) will be filed the next available working day. Where the Duty Registrar or the Duty Judge directs the applicant to provide hard copies of the relevant documents, the applicant must bring three copies each of the application, the supporting affidavit and the appropriate draft orders of Court (Form 115 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions) for the hearing of the application without notice. Parties are strongly encouraged to print on both sides of each piece of paper where hard copies are tendered.

To avoid doubt, every applicant must comply with paragraph 100 of these Practice Directions.

The duties of the Duty Registrar are to:

hear applications without notice or by consent provided that the application has been filed in the Electronic Filing Service; (b) grant approval for any matter pertaining to the administration of the Registry, including giving early or urgent dates and allowing inspection of files; (c) sign and certify documents; and (d) sign documents to effect sale and transfer of matrimonial assets.

The duties of the Duty Magistrate shall include the examination of complainants when they file a Magistrate’s Complaint.

The duty hours are as follows:

Mondays to Thursdays (excluding public holidays)

9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., and

2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m

Fridays (excluding public holidays)

9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., and

2.30 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Only solicitors or litigants (if they are not legally represented) may appear before the Duty Registrar.

Except where the attendance of the solicitor is required under sub-paragraph (7), the filing of the relevant documents will be sufficient for the Duty Registrar to dispose of any application or matter. Documents will be returned to the solicitor through the Electronic Filing Service to the inbox of the law firm’s computer system or through the service bureau.

All documents which are not required to be filed using the Electronic Filing Service must be duly stamped before presentation to the Duty Registrar for his or her signature and / or decision.

The solicitor’s attendance is compulsory only:

when he or she is requesting an early or urgent date for a hearing before the Registrar or Judge; (b) when an application or document is returned with the direction “solicitor to attend”; or (c) when his or her attendance is required by any provision of law.

A solicitor may, if he or she wishes to expedite matters, attend before the Duty Registrar even if his or her attendance is not ordinarily required.

A solicitor or a litigant who is not legally represented (collectively, “parties”) who wishes to attend before a Duty Registrar and to refer him or her to documents filed must either:

file the documents at least 1 hour before attending before the Duty Registrar, so that the documents would already be in the electronic case file for the Duty Registrar’s reference. Parties should as far as possible only attend before the Duty Registrar after they have received notification from the Court that the documents have been accepted. Parties should also check with the Registry that the documents have been routed to the Duty Registrar before attending before the Duty Registrar; or (b) attend before the Duty Registrar with the hard copy documents. The Duty Registrar will require the relevant party to give an undertaking to file all the documents by the next working day before dealing with the matter.

Attendance before the Duty Registrar by video conferencing

Attendance before the Duty Registrar will be by video conferencing, unless otherwise directed.

A solicitor or a litigant who is not legally represented (collectively, “parties”) who wishes to attend before a Duty Registrar by way of video conferencing must:

email the Registry at (for matters filed through the IELS such as injunctions, extension of time etc.) or (for maintenance and personal protection matters under the Women’s Charter 1961, the Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1975 or the Vulnerable Adults Act 2018); or &x20;

The email or letter of request should contain the following information:

the case number; (b) if there is no case number assigned, the name(s) of the parties and names of the solicitor and law firm(s) acting for such parties; (c) explain briefly the nature of the application and directions sought from the Duty Registrar; (d) the time and date that parties wish to attend before the Duty Registrar; (e) whether parties wish to send in any documents via the Electronic Filing Service ahead of the hearing or during the hearing before the Duty Registrar; (f) whether parties wish to tender any hard copy documents ahead of the hearing before the Duty Registrar; (g) the name(s) of all the parties who will be attending the hearing before the Duty Registrar, and the email address and telephone number of these parties.&x20;

If parties wish to tender any hard copy documents ahead of the hearing before the Duty Registrar, parties should as far as possible provide the hard copies and ensure that they have been placed before the Duty Registrar sufficiently far in advance before the scheduled hearing. Parties should check with the Registry that the documents have been placed before the Duty Registrar before the scheduled hearing. Parties are strongly encouraged to print on both sides of each piece of paper where hard copies are tendered.

Physical attendance before the Duty Registrar

In the event physical attendance before the Duty Registrar is allowed, solicitors or litigants who are not legally represented should email the Registry with the information set out at sub-paragraph (12) prior to attending before the Duty Registrar.

Signing of documents to effect sale and transfer of matrimonial assets

When dealing with the ancillary matters, the Court may grant orders under section 31 of the Family Justice Act 2014 empowering the Registrar to sign the documents to effect the sale and transfer of matrimonial assets. These orders fall into two categories:

an order empowering the Registrar to sign the relevant documents without further notice to the party whom the Registrar is signing the documents on behalf of (“Category A orders”); and (b) an order empowering the Registrar to sign the relevant documents only in the event of a default by a party in signing the relevant documents (“the other party”) despite written notification to him / her to sign the relevant documents (“Category B orders”).

Applications to obtain the signature of the Registrar pursuant to Category A orders and Category B orders shall be made before the Duty Registrar in the Family Justice Courts. The documents to be signed by the Duty Registrar shall contain the following endorsements:

“Signed on behalf of {insert name of party in default} by Registrar, Family Justice Courts, pursuant to order of Court dated {insert date}”

Solicitors shall furnish the following documents to the Duty Registrar when making such applications:

For Category A orders: (i) The sealed copy of the order of Court empowering the Registrar to sign the relevant documents; and (ii) A duplicate copy of each of the documents to be signed by the Registrar, which will be retained by the Court. (b) For Category B orders: (i) The documents set out in sub-paragraphs (17)(a)(i) and (ii). (ii) An affidavit stating the details of the written notification(s) sent to the other party and showing the other party’s default in signing the relevant documents.

The sealed copy of the order of Court empowering the Registrar to sign will be returned after the signing of the documents.

Request for urgent hearing before Duty District Judge or Assistant Registrar of the Family Justice Courts

Save for attendances before the Duty Registrar or Duty Magistrate listed in paragraph 106 of these Practice Directions, sub-paragraphs (1) to (7) apply to all other requests for urgent hearing (including applications without notice) before the Duty District Judge or Assistant Registrar.

An applicant requesting for an urgent hearing before a Duty District Judge or Assistant Registrar is required to file the request through the Electronic Filing Service. The request should be accompanied by the completed Form 134 of Appendix B of these Practice Directions. A copy of Form 134 should be served on each respondent to the application at the time of filing, unless the application is an application without notice and service of Form 134 would or might defeat the purpose of the application. The Registry will update the applicant or parties (whichever applicable) on the outcome of the request.

The applicant should prepare skeletal submissions for the urgent hearing before the Duty District Judge, and file the skeletal submissions at the same time as Form 134. A copy of the skeletal submissions should be served on each respondent to the application at the time of filing, unless the application is an application without notice and service of the skeletal submissions would or might defeat the purpose of the application.

If, due to urgency, the applicant is unable to file or serve Form 134 and / or the skeletal submissions before attending before the Duty District Judge, the applicant should provide a copy each of Form 134 and the skeletal submissions to each respondent to the application when the parties attend before the Duty District Judge. Each such copy of Form 134 or the skeletal submissions must be a hard copy, if the parties attend before the Duty District Judge physically, or in soft copy, if the parties attend before the Duty District Judge by live video or live television link. Thereafter, Form 134 and the skeletal submissions should be filed as soon as possible and, in any event, no later than the next working day after the attendance before the Duty District Judge, unless the Court directs otherwise. If any respondent does not attend before the Duty District Judge, Form 134 and the skeletal submissions should be served on that respondent as soon as possible after the hearing before the Duty District Judge, unless the Court directs otherwise.

In cases of extreme urgency where the applicant is unable to comply with the requirement to file or provide a copy of the skeletal submissions by the time of the urgent hearing before the Duty District Judge, the applicant should seek dispensation of that requirement and the supporting reasons for the dispensation request should be included in Form 134 filed pursuant to sub-paragraph (2).

The applicant’s skeletal submissions should contain the following:

the relevant facts; (b) the applicable law; (c) the reason(s) for requesting an urgent hearing; and (d) a summary of arguments.

The applicant’s skeletal submissions must be in the following format:

all pages (including, where applicable, the cover page, table of contents, separator sheets and exhibit sheets) must be paginated such that the printed page numbers correspond to the page numbers in the soft copy Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the document that is filed through the Electronic Filing Service, the page number must be inserted at the top right hand corner of the page, and, where there are multiple volumes, each separate volume must start at page 1, and every page in that volume must be numbered consecutively; (b) the skeletal submissions should not exceed 10 pages (excluding the cover page and backing page); (c) except for content reproduced from case authorities, textbook or other commentaries, other documents filed in Court, and extracts of transcripts, which may be in Times New Roman 10 or its equivalent, the minimum font size used must be Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent; (d) the print of every page must be double-spaced, except for the following, which may be single-spaced: (i) cover pages and tables of contents; (ii) paragraph and section headings or sub-headings; (iii) content reproduced from case authorities, textbook or other commentaries, and other documents filed in Court; and (iv) extracts of transcripts; (e) every page must have a margin on all 4 sides, each of at least 35mm in width; and (f) parties are strongly encouraged to print on both sides of each piece of paper where hard copies are tendered.

Request for urgent hearing before Judge of the Family Division

In the event that a request is for an urgent hearing before a Judge of the Family Division, unless otherwise directed, sub-paragraphs (2) to (7) shall apply save that references to the Duty District Judge shall be read as references to the Judge of the Family Division.

Solicitors requesting an urgent hearing before the Duty Registrar or Duty District Judge, or an urgent hearing date, in respect of an application that has not yet been filed through the Electronic Filing Service, shall submit a hard copy of the proposed application and any supporting affidavit to the Duty Registrar or Duty District Judge for the Court’s retention and shall give an undertaking to file the application and supporting affidavit using the Electronic Filing Service by the next working day. Any document not filed using the Electronic Filing Service will not be included in the Court’s electronic case file.

When filing applications through the Electronic Filing Service, solicitors may be permitted to make a request for a preferred hearing date for any interlocutory application to be heard before a Registrar.

Solicitors should confer with all parties to the application before selecting a preferred hearing date. Solicitors arguing the application for all parties should be available to attend the hearing on the date selected.

In the event that it is not possible to confer with the opposing solicitors on a preferred hearing date, whether due to the nature or urgency of the application or otherwise, solicitors must select a date when the solicitors arguing the application for the applicant will be available.

Solicitors are reminded to satisfy the requirements of paragraph 52(4) of these Practice Directions.

Before any party makes a request through the Electronic Filing Service to the Court for an adjournment or vacation of any hearing, he or she should seek the consent of the other party or parties to the matter. Unilateral requests made without first seeking the consent or views of the other party or parties to the matter will not be entertained, except in the most exceptional circumstances.

The request electronic form should be filed through the Electronic Filing Service at least 7 working days before the hearing, setting out the reasons for the requested adjournment or vacation of the hearing. For hearings relating to proceedings to which Part 3 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 applies, the request electronic form should be filed through the Electronic Filing Service at least 5 working days before the hearing.

If the consent of all other parties to the matter is obtained, a letter stating that all parties have consented to the requested adjournment or vacation of hearings may be attached to the request electronic form. However, this does not mean that the request will be granted as a matter of course. The Court will still evaluate the merits of the request before making its decision.

If the consent of one or more of the other parties is not obtained, the letter should set out the reasons for the other parties’ objections, or explain why the consent of one or more of the other parties cannot be obtained. Any relevant correspondence between the parties should also be attached to the request electronic form. The Court will then evaluate the contents of the request and the relevant correspondence before deciding whether the requested adjournment or vacation of hearings should be allowed.

In any other case, parties must attend before the Court to make an application for an adjournment. See also paragraph 112 of these Practice Directions.

Where the reason for an adjournment is a conflict of court dates, the following information relating to both court cases must be stated in the letter attached to the request electronic form:

the case number; (b) the date and time of the hearing; (c) the nature of hearing; (d) the date when the applicant was informed of the hearing date or agreed to accept the hearing date (e.g. date of Registrar’s Notice or date of case conference or court mentions when the date was taken); (e) in the event the family proceedings hearing date was fixed earlier, whether the court subsequently giving the same hearing date was informed of the family proceedings hearing already fixed; and (f) in the event the family proceedings hearing date was fixed later, whether the Family Justice Courts was informed of the earlier hearing date and the reasons for the earlier date.

The directions in sub-paragraphs (8) and (9) apply to trials only.&x20;

Subject to any directions of the Court, when a case is adjourned, the Registrar will assign such days as are available for the hearing of the case, and solicitors will be expected to take the dates at short notice.

In the event that the hearing of a case is not concluded within the number of days allotted, the Court may direct the hearing of the case to continue beyond the allotted time, rather than adjourning the case part-heard to another date. Solicitors for parties in all cases should therefore be prepared to continue with the hearing of the matter despite the fact that the time originally allotted may have expired.

Where an application has been struck off by reason of any party being absent, the Registrar may direct that the matter be restored by way of summons.

Save in the most exceptional and unforeseen circumstances, and so long as the firm of solicitors remains on record, a member of the firm must attend all proceedings in respect of the cause or matter in which the firm is acting, even if it does not intend to oppose the orders sought by the other side. The practice of asking the opposing solicitor to mention the matter on one’s behalf is not acceptable.

Subject to sub-paragraph (3), the Court may however allow a solicitor appearing in any cause or matter to mention for solicitors for all other parties provided that:

the solicitor obtains confirmation of his or her authority to mention on their behalf for the purpose of the hearing; and (b) parties have agreed on the order sought.

However, where an adjournment of the hearing date of any cause or matter is sought, solicitors for all parties must attend the hearing. See also paragraph 110 of these Practice Directions.

Solicitors appearing in any cause or matter should be punctual in attending Court, as delay in the commencement of the hearing leads to wastage of judicial time. Appropriate sanctions may be imposed for solicitors who do not arrive for hearings on time.

If:

any party to proceedings; (b) any witness; (c) any solicitor; or (d) any officer or other person appointed by the Public Prosecutor to act as a Deputy Public Prosecutor or an Assistant Public Prosecutor in carrying out any of the duties of the Public Prosecutor under the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 or under any other written law,

is required to attend Court (including any hearing conducted by way of live video or live television link, and whether in court or in chambers) and wishes to absent himself or herself from Court on medical grounds, he or she must tender or cause to be tendered to the Court an original medical certificate. The medical certificate may be tendered in person or by any electronic means which the Court may permit.

Any medical certificate tendered to the Court under sub-paragraph (1) must:

state the name and Medical Council or Dental Council Registration Number of the medical practitioner or dental practitioner who issued the certificate; (b) state the name of the hospital or clinic at which the certificate was issued; (c) state the contact details of the medical practitioner or dental practitioner and also of the hospital or clinic; (d) be signed by the medical practitioner or dental practitioner or, if the medical certificate is electronically generated, state that no signature is required; (e) contain a statement to the effect that the person in respect of whom the certificate is issued is medically unfit to attend Court, and specify the date(s) on which the person is medically unfit to attend Court; (f) contain a diagnosis of the person in respect of whom the certificate is issued accompanied by a brief description of the symptom(s) and condition(s) forming the basis for the statement in sub-paragraph (2)(e) above (unless the diagnosis cannot or should not normally be disclosed); and (g) bear the date on which the certificate was issued and, where this date differs from the date of consultation, clearly disclose the difference.

If any information specified in sub-paragraph (2) is not stated in the medical certificate itself, such information must be included in a memorandum attached to the medical certificate. This memorandum must:

state the name and Medical Council or Dental Council Registration number of the medical practitioner or dental practitioner who issued the certificate; (b) state the name of the hospital or clinic at which the certificate was issued; and (c) be signed by the medical practitioner or dental practitioner or, if the memorandum is electronically generated, state that no signature is required.

All information and details in any medical certificate or memorandum must be clearly and legibly printed.

If any requirement set out in sub-paragraphs (2) to (4) is not complied with, the Court may reject the medical certificate and decline to excuse the attendance of the person in respect of whom the medical certificate was issued. The Court may then take any action it deems appropriate.

The Court may, if it deems fit, take steps to contact the medical practitioner or dental practitioner who appears to have issued a medical certificate for the purpose of authenticating the medical certificate and, where necessary, the person in respect of whom the medical certificate is issued must provide such assistance to the Court as may be necessary to facilitate such authentication.

This paragraph applies to all proceedings in the Family Justice Courts.

The Central Queue Management System (CQMS) is used for hearings and conferences in the Family Justice Courts except the following:

Youth Courts; (b) Mentions in the Family Courts; (c) Trials in the Family Courts; and (d) Open court hearings in the Family Courts.

When taking queue numbers at the CQMS kiosk, solicitors are to indicate they are ready for hearing by taking the queue number for the opposing party.

The Judge or Registrar has the full discretion to manage the queue and call cases in the CQMS in a manner which he or she deems fit.

Senior Counsel will continue to be given the precedence and the right of preaudience in accordance with paragraph 115 of these Practice Directions.

If a hearing or conference is being conducted in the Supreme Court building, solicitors shall use the Central Display Management System as set out in the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021.

By virtue of section 31 of the Legal Profession Act 1966 and existing custom and usage, Senior Counsel are given precedence and the right of preaudience.

In order to give substance to the principle of precedence and preaudience to Senior Counsel, Senior Counsel who intend to appear before Judges or Registrars for summonses hearings should inform the Registrar in writing not later than 2 clear days before the scheduled hearing date. Matters involving Senior Counsel will thereafter be listed first, in the order of their precedence. If Senior Counsel do not appear at the time their matters come on for hearing according to the list, they will have to wait for their turn in accordance with their queue numbers given by the Central Queue Management System in the Family Justice Courts, subject to the Judge’s or Registrar’s overriding discretion.

All other solicitors, including those who appear on behalf of Senior Counsel, will continue to be heard in the order of their queue numbers in accordance with the current practice in the Family Justice Courts, subject to the Judge’s or Registrar’s overriding discretion.

Trials, in Court and open court proceedings

For proceedings in the Family Division:

the attire for male solicitors appearing in trials, in Court or in open court will be the existing gown worn over an ordinary long-sleeved white shirt with a turn-down collar, a tie of a subdued or sober colour, a dark jacket, dark trousers and black or plain coloured shoes. (b) the attire for female solicitors appearing in trials, in Court or in open court will be the existing gown worn over a long-sleeved white blouse high to the neck, a dark jacket, a dark skirt or dark trousers and black or plain coloured shoes. Conspicuous jewellery or ornaments should not be worn. (c) when appearing in trials, in Court or in open court proceedings that are conducted through a live video or live television link: (i) if the proceedings are conducted solely through the live video or live television link and do not take place in any courtroom, the attire for solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraphs (1)(a) and (b), save that a gown need not be worn; (ii) if one or more Judges hear the proceedings in a courtroom, unless the Court otherwise directs, the attire for solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraphs 1(a) and (b); (iii) if the Judge conducts proceedings through the live video link or live television link, and the parties attend the proceedings in the courtroom, unless the Court otherwise directs, the attire for solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraphs 1(a) and (b). (d) The attire for Senior Counsel will be as described in sub-paragraphs (1)(a) to (c), save that they may, instead of the existing gown, wear a gown in the design of those worn by the Queen’s Counsel of England and Wales and made of the following material: (i) silk; (ii) silk and wool mix; or (iii) artificial silk.&x20;

For proceedings in the Family Courts and Youth Courts, the attire for solicitors appearing in trials, in Court or in open court will be as described in sub-paragraph (1), save that a gown need not be worn.

Proceedings in chambers

When appearing before the Judge or Registrar in chambers, the attire for solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraph (1), save that a gown need not be worn.

Mediations

For mediations:

The attire for male solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraph (3), save that a single-coloured shirt of neutral or subdued shades instead of a white shirt may be worn. (b) The attire for female solicitors will be as described in sub-paragraph (3), save that a single-coloured blouse or a single-coloured dress of neutral or subdued shades instead of a white blouse may be worn.

In the event that a party is represented by more than one solicitor at a hearing, whether in open court, in Court or in chambers, more than one solicitor (including junior assisting solicitor) may undertake part of the oral advocacy including the making of submissions and the questioning of witnesses.

Lead solicitors are strongly encouraged to give junior assisting counsel more opportunities for oral advocacy at a hearing. This contributes to their development as advocates and promotes renewal of the Bar. Lead counsel should apprise the client of the potential benefits of allocating certain advocacy tasks to junior assisting solicitors, including reduced legal costs and increased focus by lead counsel on the main advocacy tasks, and to therefore obtain instructions to conduct the proceedings in accordance with sub-paragraph (2).

If a party would like certain portions of the submissions, or examination, cross-examination or re-examination of witnesses to be conducted by a different solicitor in the same case, lead solicitor should inform the Court as early as is practicable at a Case Conference or Mention, and by no later than the commencement of the trial or hearing. The following information should be provided to the Court:

the issues on which each solicitor will be making submissions; and / or (b) the witnesses to be examined, cross-examined or re-examined by each solicitor, or the portions of their evidence for which each solicitor will conduct the examination, cross-examination or re-examination.&x20;

If the Court has been informed of the allocation of oral advocacy tasks in accordance with sub-paragraph (2), unless otherwise directed by the Court,

each solicitor should ensure that he or she confines himself or herself to the issues or portions of evidence as allocated to him or her and that there is no overlap in the issues or the examination being dealt with by different solicitors for the same party; and (b) a solicitor must not repeat, clarify or expand on any submissions that have been made by another solicitor for the same party or examine, cross-examine or re-examine witnesses on portions of their evidence dealt with by another solicitor for the same party.

Nothing in this paragraph detracts from the responsibility of the lead solicitor to ensure that all solicitors making submissions, or having conduct of any portion of the examination, cross- examination or re-examination of witnesses, are adequately supervised and able to handle the tasks assigned to them.

This Paragraph shall apply to all proceedings in the Family Courts, Youth Courts and Family Division of the High Court.

An applicant for an order under section 43(3) or 57(8) of the Adoption of Children Act 2022 or section 14 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934 must prepare the following documents in accordance with the appropriate forms in Appendix A of these Practice Directions and bring them along to the hearing:

the Order of Court to Prevent the Removal or for Return of the Child(ren) (Form 115 of Appendix A of these Practice Directions); (b) the Order for Seizure (Infant) (Form 116A of Appendix A of these Practice Directions); (c) the Request for Attendance of the Bailiff (Seizure of Infant) (Form 116B of Appendix A of these Practice Directions); (d) the Letter of Indemnity (Seizure of Infant) (Form 116C of Appendix A of these Practice Directions).

If an order is granted under section 43(3) or section 57(8) of the Adoption of Children Act 2022 or section 14 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1934, the applicant must do the following:

accompany the bailiff to the place of execution and identify the child to be seized; (b) instruct his or her solicitor (if any) to accompany the bailiff; (c) provide specific address of execution and if the execution is at an airport (whether Singapore Changi or Seletar), the solicitor / applicant shall provide the details of the flight and terminal number (boundary of seizure at the airport is restricted to the public area); and (d) engage and pay for the costs of an auxiliary police officer to accompany the bailiff to the place of execution, subject to the condition that where the person against whom the execution is to be carried out or the child / any of the children concerned is a female, the auxiliary police officer shall be a female officer.

In order to maintain the dignity of Court proceedings in the Family Justice Courts, court users are strictly prohibited from making any video and / or image recording in all hearings and sessions in open court, in Court or in chambers.

Additionally, audio recording during a hearing or session are strictly prohibited without prior approval of the Judge or Registrar hearing the matter or the person presiding over the session.

Court users are permitted to use notebooks, tablets and other electronic devices to:

take notes of evidence and for other purposes pertaining to the proceedings in open court, in Court or in chambers; or (b) communicate with external parties in all hearings in open court or in Court,

provided that such use does not in any way disrupt or trivialise the proceedings.

To avoid doubt, this paragraph applies to all alternative dispute resolution and counselling sessions conducted in the Family Justice Courts.

The attention of court users is also drawn to section 5 of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.

This paragraph applies to solicitors, litigants (whether represented by solicitors or not), the media and all other persons reporting on or commenting about cases which are before any Court (“Court cases”). All categories of persons mentioned above are collectively referred to as “all concerned”.

All concerned are reminded that reports or comments in public on Court cases must not flout any existing law or order of Court or be calculated to affect, or be reasonably capable of affecting, the outcome of any decision by the Court. The attention of all concerned is drawn to section 3 of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.

All concerned are not to publish, report or publicly comment on any affidavit or statutory declaration which has not been adduced as evidence or referred to in any hearing in open court, in Court or in chambers or any other court document which has not been served on the relevant party or parties in the Court proceedings.

All concerned are not to publish, report or publicly comment on any statements made in chambers by anyone which is expressly stated to be confidential or is impliedly confidential. Solicitors may inform their clients of statements made in chambers when it is necessary for them to render proper advice to their clients.

An audio recording mentioned in Part 15, Rule 9(6) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be made by the Court in all trials in action. Where a hearing is conducted by means of video conferencing or telephone conferencing using a remote communication technology approved by the Chief Justice or authorised by the Court, and the Court has authorised the making of a recording of the hearing using such remote communication technology, the recording so made will, unless the Court otherwise directs, constitute the Court’s notes of proceedings for the purposes of Part 15, Rule 9(7) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

Without limiting Part 15, Rule 9(7) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Court may determine, for the purposes of that provision, that the Court’s notes of proceedings are to be taken down by a person other than the Court, whether by hand or through the use of any computer or electronic device.

The provisions of sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) are subject to any directions made by the Court hearing the matter, or by the Registrar, whether or not upon application by the parties. Such directions may include the use of alternative means of producing transcripts.

Where the Court makes directions under sub-paragraph (3) for the use of alternative means of producing transcripts:

the transcript of the notes of proceedings will constitute the Court’s notes of proceedings for the purposes of Part 15, Rule 9(7) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024; and (b) the parties must inform the Registry by letter at least 7 working days before the scheduled hearing as to the mode by which the proceedings will be recorded.

The costs of engaging a service provider must be paid by the parties directly to the service provider.

Requests for certified transcripts of the official record of hearing conducted at the Supreme Court building must be made by filing the requisite request electronic form through the Electronic Filing Service at least 7 working days before the scheduled hearing.

Request for digital audio recording and transcription service for hearings other than trials

Digital audio recording and transcription of proceedings will be made available in the Family Justice Courts, to parties, through one or more designated service providers at the request of parties.

Any party who intends to use the digital audio recording and transcription service for hearings other than trials shall write to the Court hearing the proceedings for approval at least 12 working days before the commencement of the proceedings.

The request for digital audio recording and transcription service shall be subject to the approval and / or directions of the Court hearing the proceedings, the approval of the Registrar, and the availability of the designated service provider to provide the service.

Upon written notification of the approval by the Court hearing the proceedings, the requesting party shall submit to the designated service provider at least 8 working days before the commencement of the proceedings the application for digital audio recording and transcription service using the requisite form provided by the designated service provider. The requesting party shall also comply with any direction(s) that may be given by the Court hearing the proceedings, in respect of the party’s written request for digital audio recording and transcription service.

The designated service provider shall inform the requesting party whether the application for digital audio recording and transcription service has received final approval by the Registrar.

The cost of engaging the designated service provider for digital audio recording and transcription service shall be paid by the requesting party directly to the designated service provider. The engagement of and payment to the designated service provider are subject to its terms and conditions.

The party or parties engaging the designated service provider shall apply for sufficient copies of the transcript to be furnished to the Court hearing the proceedings and all other parties to the proceedings.

Audio recording

To avoid doubt, where hearings for proceedings commenced in the Family Justice Courts are audio recorded, a copy or copies of the audio recording will not be made available to any party.

For proceedings in the Family Courts or Family Division which have been commenced using the Electronic Filing Service, every application for the Court records in those proceedings (including notes of evidence, certified transcripts or grounds of decision) must be made by way of filing the appropriate request in the Electronic Filing Service to the Registry.

On approval, copies of the Court records will be made available upon payment of an appropriate fee.

Pursuant to Part 15, Rule 9(10) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registrar hereby directs that transcripts of hearing or notes of hearing may be certified by:

the Judge or judicial officer having conduct of the proceedings; (b) with the approval of the Court, the manager or personal assistant, as the case may be, to the Judge or judicial officer having conduct of the proceedings; or (c) with the approval of the Court, the service provider.

The costs of producing a certified transcript of the official record of the hearing may be claimed as an item of disbursement unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

Access by parties to a case file

All parties to a case who are registered users of the Electronic Filing Service may, subject to this paragraph and any directions of the Court, access the electronic case file made available through the Electronic Filing Service and may inspect, download soft copies or print hard copies of documents accessible to the parties in the electronic case file.

Where a party to a case is not a registered user and is unable to access the electronic case file through the Electronic Filing Service, the procedure in sub-paragraph (5) must be followed.

All parties to a case have the liberty to make amendments to administrative details contained in the electronic case file through the Electronic Filing Service. Administrative details include the contact details of solicitors, the identities of the solicitors, and the nature of the claim. Where a party to a case is not a registered user of the Electronic Filing Service, he or she may attend at the service bureau to seek assistance to amend the administrative details contained in the electronic case file.

The Registry may require parties to a case to provide supporting documents to substantiate proposed amendments to other details of the electronic case file before the amendment is approved. For example, amendments to add or remove a party to the case have to be supported by an order of Court; and amendments to change the name, gender, identification number, or marital status of a party to the case have to be substantiated by documentary proof.

File inspection by non-parties

In order to inspect a case file containing documents that were filed through the Electronic Filing Service, the following procedure should be followed:

A request should be made to obtain permission to inspect the file, which request should:

be filed using the Electronic Filing Service; (ii) state the name of the person who is to carry out the search or inspection (and if this person is not a solicitor, his or her identity card number should also be included in the request, after his or her name); (iii) state the interest the applicant has in the matter, and the reason for the search or inspection; and (iv) if the search or inspection is requested for the purpose of ascertaining information for use in a separate suit or matter, clearly state the nature of the information sought and the relevance of such information to the separate suit or matter.

Once approval for inspection has been received from the Court:

Registered users can inspect the case file online through the Electronic Filing Service; and (ii) Parties who are not registered users can inspect the case file by presenting a copy of the approval at the service bureau. After verifying the approval that has been presented, the service bureau will assign a personal computer to the inspecting party for the inspection to be carried out. An inspecting party will usually be allowed only 60 minutes to carry out the inspection. If a longer period is required, the service bureau may impose a charge for use of the computer. The service bureau may impose additional charges for downloading soft copies or printing hard copies of documents from the case file being inspected.

To inspect a case file in proceedings that do not use the Electronic Filing Service, the following procedure should be followed:

A request should be submitted to the Registry to obtain permission to inspect the case file. The request should state the name of the person who is to carry out the search or inspection. If this person is not a solicitor, his or her identification and contact details should also be included in the request, and his or her identification document (including physical or digital identity card) should be produced for verification if requested. The request should also state the interest that the applicant has in the matter, and the reason for the search or inspection. If the search or inspection is requested for the purpose of ascertaining information for use in a separate suit or matter, the request should clearly state the nature of the information sought and the relevance of such information to the separate suit or matter. (b) If approval for inspection is given by the Court, and upon confirmation of the receipt of payment of the fees payable, the inspection of the case file and Court documents will be carried out at the Registry. (c) The fees prescribed by the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be payable for the provision of the above service.

Solicitors must communicate to the Registrar in writing the names of their employees who have their authority to make searches and inspections. Such authority may be in respect of a specific search or inspection or for a specified period.

All copies of documents taken in the course of inspection should not be used for purposes other than those stated in the request to inspect. Solicitors are responsible for informing their clients of this. To avoid doubt, a non-party that has obtained approval to inspect a case file may take and retain a soft copy of any document that is available for inspection.

Obtaining certified true copies of documents

Users are encouraged to use the Authentic Court Order system to validate orders of Court issued after 2 January 2020 by going to . However, certified true copies of orders of Court will still be available upon application.

Applications to obtain certified true copies of documents should be made by way of filing a request through the Electronic Filing Service, unless the documents concerned have not been filed through the Electronic Filing Service.

The intended use of the certified true copies should be clearly stated in the request. The relevance and necessity of the certified true copies in relation to their intended use should also be clearly described.

The applicant will be informed of the outcome to his or her request and the fees payable for the provision of the certified true copies if the request is approved. Upon confirmation of the receipt of payment of the fees payable, the certified true copies will be released to the applicant. The Registry may require verification of the identity of the applicant against his or her identification document (including physical or digital identity card) prior to the release of the certified true copies.

The fees prescribed by the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be payable for the provision of the above services without prejudice to additional incidental charges which may be chargeable by the Court for reproducing the copies in paper form and / or mailing the copy(ies) to the applicant.

Electronic cause books and registers maintained by the Registry

For the purposes of Part 26, Rule 3(1) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024, the Registry must maintain the following Court records:

details of all originating processes in Family Justice Courts, including: (i) details of interlocutory applications filed in the originating processes; and (ii) details of appeals filed in the originating processes; (b) details of enforcement orders, writs of distress and warrants of arrest; and (c) any other information as may from time to time be deemed necessary.

Searches for any Court records mentioned in sub-paragraph (14) may be conducted through the Electronic Filing Service at a service bureau or at the Registry. The fees prescribed by the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 will be payable for such searches.

An application may be made by any person for a licence to use any information contained in any electronic cause book or register subject to such terms and conditions as the Registrar may determine. Successful applicants will be required to enter into separate technical services agreements with the Electronic Filing Service provider. Applications under this sub-paragraph must be made in writing, identifying the data fields sought and providing details of how the information will be used.

Time for filing of documents

Subject to any directions in these Practice Directions, or by the Court to the contrary, all documents for use at any hearing in Court must be filed using the Electronic Filing Service at least 1 clear day in advance of the hearing. These documents include written submissions, skeletal arguments, bundles of documents, bundles of affidavits, core bundles and opening statements.

In the event that it is not possible to file the documents in advance of the hearing, solicitors may apply to the Judge or Registrar conducting the hearing for permission:

to use hard copy documents during the hearing. Parties are strongly encouraged to print on both sides of each piece of paper where hard copies are tendered; or (b) to display a soft copy of the document by sharing his or her screen during the hearing (if the hearing is conducted by video-conferencing).

The solicitor must explain why it was not possible to file the documents in advance of the hearing, and must also give an undertaking to file using the Electronic Filing Service all the documents used at the hearing by the next working day after the hearing. Any document not filed using the Electronic Filing Service will not be included in the Court’s case file.

General requirements as regards documents filed for use in Court

Without limiting any directions in these Practice Directions, the following requirements apply to all documents filed for use in Court:

The cover page and table of contents are to be included in the page count for the purposes of determining whether a document is within the prescribed page limit (if any). (b) Cover pages are mandatory for all documents. (c) A table of contents is mandatory for all documents for which the prescribed page limit is 20 pages or higher. (d) Where a document consists of more than 1 volume: (i) the table of contents of all volumes of the document must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and (ii) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the items that are contained in that volume.

If the filing of a document is to be done by submitting only a hard copy of the same to the Registry in accordance with these Practice Directions or the Court’s direction:

Any fees payable pursuant to the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 must be paid over the counter at the same time as when the hard copy document is submitted to the Registry. (b) Parties should, when making payment over the counter, indicate to the cashier the precise number of pages which comprise the documents. (c) The hard copy of the document filed in Court should show, on the first page of the document, the amount of fees that have been paid on the document. (d) To avoid doubt, this sub-paragraph does not apply where: (i) a document is filed, and the fees payable pursuant to the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 are paid, through the Electronic Filing Service; and (ii) the party chooses to tender hard copy of the document to the Registry.

Pleadings, the texts of affidavits (as opposed to the exhibits), opening statements and written submissions filed in or submitted to the Court must comply with the following requirements:

all pages (including, where applicable, the cover page, table of contents, separator sheets and exhibit sheets) must be paginated such that the printed page numbers correspond to the page numbers in the soft copy Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the document that is filed through the Electronic Filing Service, the page number must be inserted at the top right hand corner of the page, and, where there are multiple volumes, each separate volume must start at page 1, and every page in that volume must be numbered consecutively; (b) except for content reproduced from case authorities, textbook or other commentaries, other documents filed in Court, and extracts of transcripts, which may be in Times New Roman 10 or its equivalent, the minimum font size used must be Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent; (c) the print of every page must be double-spaced, except for the following, which may be single-spaced: (i) cover pages and tables of contents; (ii) paragraph and section headings or sub-headings; (iii) content reproduced from case authorities, textbook or other commentaries, and other documents filed in Court; and (iv) extracts of transcripts; (d) every page must have a margin on all 4 sides, each of at least 35mm in width; and (e) parties are strongly encouraged to print on both sides of each piece of paper where hard copies are tendered.

Sub-paragraph (4A) does not apply to any documents for which specific directions on formatting are provided for in these Practice Directions.

Bundle of authorities

Where bundles of authorities are required to be filed under these Practice Directions or by the Court, the following directions, unless otherwise provided by these Practice Directions or ordered by the Court, apply.

Bundles of authorities may be filed, served, delivered or otherwise conveyed using the Electronic Filing Service. A party may also choose not to file the bundle of authorities into the electronic case file and instead submit a hard copy of the bundle of authorities for hearings according to the directions in this Part.

The party using the hard copy of the bundle of authorities must produce the bundle at every hearing at which it is required. Parties are strongly encouraged to print on both sides of each piece of paper where hard copies are tendered. The Court will neither retain nor undertake to produce for hearings the hard copy of the bundle. The Judge or Registrar may, if he or she so chooses, retain the hard copy of the bundle of authorities for his or her own reference. The hard copy so retained will not, however, form part of the Court’s record in respect of the proceedings in which it was used

Solicitors must adhere to the following directions when preparing bundles of authorities for use in Court:

The bundle of authorities must contain all the authorities, cases, statutes, subsidiary legislation and any other materials relied on. (b) The bundle of authorities must be arranged in the following order – statutes in alphabetical order of the title, subsidiary legislation in alphabetical order of the title, cases in alphabetical order of the case name, secondary materials (such as textbooks and articles) in alphabetical order of the last name of the author, and any other materials in alphabetical order of the title or last name of the author as is appropriate. (c) The bundle of authorities must have a table of contents immediately after the cover page. Where the bundle of authorities consists of more than 1 volume: (i) the table of contents of all volumes of the bundle of authorities must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and (ii) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the authorities that are contained in that volume. (d) The items in the table of contents must be numbered sequentially, and bound in the order in which they are listed. (e) The table of contents must contain a concise statement of the relevance of each authority to the specific issues before the Court. The relevance of each authority must be succinctly expressed and comprise no more than 3 sentences. The statement must be set out immediately after the name of the case. For example: PEX International Pte Ltd v Lim Seng Chye and Anor \[2021] 1 SLR 631 Relevance: The foreseeability of the risk of harm is not generally necessary to mount a successful action in the tort of private nuisance but foreseeability of the type of harm is relevant. Denka Advantech Pte Ltd and Anor v Seraya Energy Pte Ltd and Anor \[2020] 1 SLR 373 Relevance: The rule against penalties in Singapore remains focussed on whether the clause in question provides a genuine pre-estimate of the likely loss at the time of contracting, and its only legitimate interest is that of compensation. (f) The bundle of authorities must be properly bound with plastic ring binding or plastic spine thermal binding. The rings or spines should be red for applicants / appellants and blue for respondents with a transparent plastic cover in front and at the back. (g) The bundle of authorities must have flags to mark out the authorities. Such flags must bear the appropriate indicium by which the authority is referred to. Flags must be spaced out evenly along the right side of the bundle so that as far as possible they do not overlap one another. (h) All pages (including, where applicable, the cover page, table of contents, separator sheets and exhibit sheets) must be paginated such that the printed page numbers correspond to the page numbers in the soft copy Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the document that is filed through the Electronic Filing Service, the page number must be inserted at the top right hand corner of the page, and, where there are multiple volumes, each separate volume must start at page 1, and every page in that volume must be numbered consecutively. (i) The bundle of authorities must be legible. Clear copies of the authorities must be made available for inspection by the other parties or the Judge if the copies exhibited in the bundle of authorities are not legible.

The Court may reject bundles of authorities that are not in compliance with sub-paragraph (8), and in exercising its discretion as to costs, take such non-compliance into account.

Only authorities which are relevant or necessary for the trial or hearing may be included in the bundle. No bundle of authorities is necessary in cases where parties are not relying on any authority at the trial or hearing. In cases where the Court is of the opinion that costs have been wasted by the inclusion of unnecessary authorities, the Court will have no hesitation in making a special order for costs against the relevant party.

Where bundles of authorities are filed through the Electronic Filing Service, the following applies:

A bookmark should be created in the Portable Document Format (PDF) file for each authority in the bundle. (b) The name given to each bookmark should be the same as the corresponding authority in the table of contents. (c) All pages (including, where applicable, the cover page, table of contents, separator sheets and exhibit sheets) must be paginated in the manner provided for in sub-paragraph (8)(h).

In all hearings in chambers before a Judge or Registrar, solicitors must submit their own bundles of documents (where necessary) and bundle of authorities. The requirements of paragraphs 18(6) to (14) and 124(5) to (11) of these Practice Directions must, with the necessary modifications, be complied with in this regard. Except where paragraph 127(2) of these Practice Directions applies, the bundles may be submitted at the hearing itself before the Judge or Registrar, as the case may be.

The party using a hard copy of the bundle of authorities for the hearing must, if directed by the Court, file the list of authorities (that corresponds to the table of contents of the hard copy of the bundle of authorities) into the case file using the Electronic Filing Service at least 1 clear day in advance of the hearing. In the event that it is not possible for the party to do so, he or she must explain to the Judge or Registrar conducting the hearing why it was not possible for him or her to do so and must also undertake to file the list of authorities using the Electronic Filing Service by the next working day after the hearing.

This paragraph applies to written submissions filed by parties pursuant to Part 15, Rule 21(2) of the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

The written submissions must not contain any endnotes.

The formatting requirements for written submissions are as follows:

the cover page must be included at the beginning of the document; (b) the table of contents must be included at the beginning of the document immediately after the cover page(s); (c) all pages (including, where applicable, the cover page, table of contents, separator sheets and exhibit sheets) must be paginated such that the printed page numbers correspond to the page numbers in the soft copy Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the document, the page number must be inserted at the top right hand corner of the page; (d) except for content reproduced from case authorities, textbook or other commentaries, other documents filed in Court, and extracts of transcripts, which may be in Times New Roman 10 or its equivalent, the minimum font size used must be Times New Roman 12 or its equivalent; (e) the print of every page must be double-spaced, except for the following, which may be single-spaced: (i) cover pages and tables of contents; (ii) paragraph and section headings or sub-headings; (iii) content reproduced from case authorities, textbook or other commentaries, and other documents filed in Court; and (iv) extracts of transcripts; (f) every page must have a margin on all 4 sides, each of at least 35 mm in width; and (g) parties are strongly encouraged to print on both sides of each piece of paper where hard copies are tendered.

The table below sets out the prescribed page limits for written submissions for the following applications:

S/NApplicationPrescribed page limit(a) Application for a claim for ancillary relief under Part 2 of the Family Justice (General) Rules 202450 pages(b)Variation of an order made pursuant to an application in S/N (a)50 pages(c)Application for a final order under section 17(1)(d) of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 196950 pages(d)Application for a final order under sections 8 and 14 of the International Child Abduction Act 201050 pages(e)Application for a final order under the Guardianship of Infants Act 193450 pages(f)All other applications35 pages

\ A final order is one which disposes of the entire action.

The page limits set out in the table at sub-paragraph (4) include the cover page, table of contents, footnotes and all annexes and appendices. Parties are to note that where the Court allows the prescribed page limit to be exceeded, fees are payable under the Third Schedule to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024.

This paragraph applies only to hearings in the Family Division save for the hearing of appeals.

For any contested special date hearing before a Judge sitting in the Family Division, subject to the Family Justice (General) Rules 2024 and unless otherwise directed by the Court, each party must:

submit to the Court and serve on the other party a hard copy of the following documents at least 1 clear day before the hearing: (i) written submissions (with a cover page and a table of contents in compliance with the requirements under paragraph 124(4A) of these Practice Directions); and (ii) bundle of authorities (which are in compliance with the requirements under paragraphs 124(5) to (11) of these Practice Directions); and (b) file a soft copy of the written submissions into the electronic case file using the Electronic Filing Service at least 1 clear day before the hearing.

The party using a hard copy of the bundle of authorities for the hearing must, if directed by the Court, file the list of authorities (that corresponds to the table of contents of the hard copy of the bundle of authorities) into the case file using the Electronic Filing Service at least 1 clear day before the hearing. Where the bundle of authorities (whether in hard copy or soft copy) consists of more than 1 volume:

the table of contents of all volumes of the bundle of authorities must be placed at the beginning of Volume A; and (b) each volume must have a table of contents indicating the authorities that are contained in that volume.

If any party does not intend to rely on written submissions at the contested hearing referred to in sub-paragraph (2) (e.g. where the hearing does not involve complex issues), the party should seek the Court’s approval for a waiver by way of a request using the Electronic Filing Service at least 7 days before the hearing.

This paragraph does not apply to any hearing before a Judge which is fixed on the normal list. However, parties are encouraged to adhere to the directions set out in sub-paragraph (2) if the application will be contested. In the event that this is not done, the Judge may adjourn the hearing to enable the filing of written submissions or bundle of authorities if appropriate.

For any special date hearing before a Registrar, any party who wishes to rely on written submissions at the hearing is required to comply with sub-paragraph (2).