Status Conference

What is a Status Conference?

What is a status conference? A status conference is part of the appeal procedures of the Supreme Court. The specific provisions for status conference are found under Order 13, rules 10 to 11 of the Supreme Court Rules 2012.

Who conducts status conference?

A status conference is conducted by duty judge. A duty judge is a judge that is assigned by the Chief Justice to conduct listed and hear application or motions which he has the jurisdictions to hear. This also includes urgent applications.  This judge is the duty judge for that circuit month.

When is a status conference held?

A status conference is held by the duty judge on a Monday. It must be the Monday of the week that is prior to the date that is scheduled for the Court sitting.

What happens at a status conference?

The duty judge will review each matter on the draft Hearing List and may do as follows:

1. issue further directions as may be necessary to make the proceedings ready for hearing; or
2. may confirm that the matter is ready for hearing.

If the duty judge confirms that the matter is ready for trial, his Honour will check the following: –

1. Confirm parties’ compliance with directions issued at the Directions Hearing.
2. Confirm the correctness of the Book which can be either be an appeal book or an application book.
3. Refer to summary determination, matters which fail to comply with directions issued at the Directions Hearing or otherwise fail to comply with procedures prescribed by the relevant rule or statute.
4. Confirm length of hearing time.
5. Confirm that written submissions have been prepared and filed in compliance with earlier directions.
6. Confirm that the parties have prepared extracts of submissions, in accordance with the Rules of the Court, to be handed up at the hearing of the matter.
7. Confirm the date or dates for the hearing of the matter.

Once the duty judges hear the parties or a party to the proceeding, he may then:

1. confirm the hearing date; or
2.  adjourn the Status Conference as is necessary, to enable the parties to fully comply with directions; or
3. refer the matter for summary determination.

Status Conference Form

When the duty judge completes that status conference, the Associate of the duty judge will record a summary of the Status Conference. This record must be in Form 10B as set out in Schedule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules. The Associate will then place this form on the Court file.

What happens when a matter is confirmed for hearing?

Once a matter is confirmed for hearing, it will then be listed on the Hearing List. The Hearing List is kept and maintained by the Registrar. This list contains all matters listed for hearing with hearing dates confirmed at the status conference.

The Registrar shall prepare a Hearing list within 2 days from the date of the Status Conference. The Registrar will work in consultation with the associate of the duty judge. The Registrar will then issue out the Hearing List to all parties on the list. The Hearing List is not subject to alteration except by the Chief Justice or the Court before which the matter is listed.

Can a matter be adjourned during status conference?

A proceeding will that is before the duty judge for status conference will not be adjourned generally. Even though parties to the proceedings consent to adjourn the matter generally, the duty judge will not grant adjournment. However, if the parties require time to consider their position or negotiate a settlement then the duty judge may adjourn the proceedings for a comparatively lengthy period but always to a fixed date with liberty to restore the matter to either the Call over List or Directions Hearing or Status Conference, within that time.