Author: Sean Schaefer

Part 12 of the Rules is not a closed system. It is a set of family-specific overlays grafted onto the broader civil rules, and the way those two layers interact is where a great deal of practical advantage lives particularly under the Family Focused Protocol. This paper explores two related objectives. The first is to make the case for reading Part 12 with the rest of the Rules in mind, anchored in Rule 12.3. The second is to walk through some of the rules outside Part 12 that family lawyers can, and arguably should, be using more often, and to consider how the Family Focused Protocol has reshaped both the procedural landscape and the remedies actually available to parties.

These materials are part of a collection presented at LESA’s Family Law Essentials program in Edmonton on May 22, 2026.