Nov 20, 2025
Each time a new matter is commenced with the Superior Court of Justice (“SCJ”), you are provided with a unique court file number. There are two main formats in which the SCJ has issued court file numbers (“CFN”), which in this blog I will refer to as the “old” and “new” formats.
The old CFN format is as follows: _ _ – _ _ _ / _ _. The first five digits represent the court’s internal case or file number. The last two digits represent the year in which the CFN was issued. For example, if your CFN was issued in 2025, it would read _ _ – _ _ _ / 25.
The new CFN format is as follows: CV -_ _ – _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ – 00ES (or 0000). The first two digits represent the year in which the CFN was issued. For example, if your CFN was issued in 2025, it would read CV-25-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -00ES (or 0000). The next eight digits represent the court’s internal case or file number. The final four digits are an extension and will always either be 00ES or 0000. The first, 00ES, is used only by the Toronto Estates Court, which is a division of Toronto Superior Court of Justice. The second, 0000, is more commonly used by other regions of the Superior Court of Justice.
Oftentimes when you have an older file that is still active, you need to convert the old CFN format to the new one. For instance, when filing materials online, the JSO portal will not accept the old CFN formatting. In this case, you need to do the following:
Old CFN: 01-123-25
New CFN: CV-25-00001123-00ES (or 0000)
- Begin with the prefix ‘CV-‘.
- Take the last two digits of the old CFN and insert it after the ‘CV-‘ in the new CFN. The first two digits will be ‘25’, as this is the year the CFN was issued.
- Take the next five digits of the old CFN and add three zeros in front it. Then, insert these eight digits (i.e., ‘00001123’) into the new CFN after ‘-25-‘.
- If the matter is with the Toronto Estates court, the last four digits of the new CFN will be ‘00ES’, otherwise for civil matters, the last four digits will be ‘0000’.
I hope this proves helpful and takes some of the mystery out of converting old court file numbers!
Hannah Henley
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.
May 29, 2025
When it comes to scheduling a date with the courts and subsequently serving and filing materials, you must first consult your region’s Practice Directions. These handy guides provide detailed steps to ensure your date is secured and your materials are provided to opposing counsel and your presiding Judge.
The Superior Court of Justice is divided into eight different regions, each with their own Practice Direction:
- Central East: Barrie/Bracebridge, Newmarket, Oshawa, and Peterborough/Cobourg/Lindsay,
- Central South: Hamilton, Kitchener, St. Catherines, Welland, Brantford, Simcoe, and Cayuga
- Central West: Brampton, Orangeville, Guelph, Milton, and Owen Sound/Walkerton,
- East: Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville, Brockville, Cornwall, L’Orignal, Napanee, Pembroke, Perth, and Picton
- Northeast: Sudbury, Cochrane/Timmins, Gore Bay, Haileybury, North Bay, Parry Sound, and Sault Ste. Marie
- Northwest: Thunder Bay, Kenora, and Fort Frances
- Southwest: Chatham/Kent, Goderich/Huron, London/Middlesex, Sarnia/Lambton, St. Thomas/Elgin, Stratford/ Perth, Windsor/Essex, and Woodstock/Oxford
- Toronto: This region of the Superior Court of Justice includes the Estates List, Civil List, and Family List. Importantly, each of these lists have their own practice direction.
Practice Directions provide an up-to-date overview of the court’s scheduling, filing and administrative procedures. Importantly, these directions are separated by the subject of the matter, such as civil law, family law, and criminal law.
While each court will have varying directions, there are some consistencies across the regions, such as:
If you find that a region’s Practice Direction does not adequately address your questions, you can do the following:
- Consult the consolidated Provincial Practice Directions
- Contact the court’s administration and ask them to clarify their scheduling and filing procedures
- Review the Rules of Civil Procedure
*(When in doubt, it is always best practice to review the Rules. They govern the entire Superior Court of Justice and are the basis of all region’s court procedures.)
Remember to always read the most recent iteration of a region’s Practice Directions and Notices to the Profession. These guides are often amended to reflect updates to court’s scheduling and filing procedures.
Hannah Henley
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.
Jan 23, 2025
In the winter of 2023, I had just finished my honours bachelor’s degree at the University of Toronto and was ready to launch forward into adulthood. As a 22-year-old, I found the working world quite daunting, so the thought of having real ‘adult job’ was intimidating. Come the new year, I decided to put myself out there and apply to a variety of positions – one of which was a legal assistant at Casey and Moss.
While reading the C&M website, I was thoroughly impressed by the work the firm had done and their prestigious recognition among estate lawyers. I resonated with their mission to provide excellent service to clients, and their emphasis on providing flexibility to their employees. Next thing I knew, I was interviewing and had secured my position as a legal assistant!
I began as an assistant to Angela Casey and Angelique Moss, both of whom provided a warm welcome and an open-door policy. I’ll admit that the first month in this position was especially challenging as I was unfamiliar with estate law and the responsibilities of a legal assistant. Thankfully, my colleagues provided me with a space where I felt comfortable asking questions and, over time, I was able to build skill and confidence.
Once I was more settled, I was given the opportunity to work on projects more independently. In addition to secretarial work, Angela and Angelique had me assist in preparing pleadings. This was when I was really given the chance to see estate law in practice and understand what is required when engaging with estate litigation, guardianship, and other matters. I did (and still do) very much enjoy doing this work alongside Angela and Angelique.
After months of hard work, dedication and continued learning, I was offered a position as Rebecca Suggitt’s legal assistant. While I was initially worried about assisting three lawyers and the increased workload, I now couldn’t be happier to work alongside these three wonderful lawyers. They have taught me essential lessons not only in estate law, but also in life. Importantly, they helped me to see the value in trial and error and helped me realize when I was being too hard on myself (I’ll never pass on one of Rebecca’s pep talks!).
The most recent addition to my responsibilities has been assisting Angela with an ETDL file (“Estate Trustee During Litigation”). As a legal assistant, working on an ETDL file requires constant monitoring and communication with counsel. Accordingly, I was able to develop my multitasking skills and learn to better prioritize tasks. Though it can be challenging at times, I am especially grateful for the opportunity to work on this type of file because I’ve been able to do more independent work and exercise initiative.
Working at Casey and Moss continues to be an invaluable experience. As I come up on one full year with this firm, I reflect on my development as both a Casey and Moss employee and as a person. Without this team, I would not be where I am or who I am today.
I look forward to another year in my career journey with Casey and Moss!
Hannah Henley
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.
Jul 9, 2024
When you find yourself in a situation where you need to contact an Estates lawyer, you might ask yourself: What should I have ready? In all matters involving Wills, Estates, incapable persons, and so forth, it is essential that you have the appropriate information at the ready.
1. Your Name and Contact Information
Intake calls are meant to gather essential information about you, as a potential client, and about the matter at hand. Oftentimes, the first thing a clerk will ask you for is your full name and contact information (e.g., phone number, email, etc.). This is necessary so that the firm can keep track of their potential clients, ensure prompt and effective communication, and schedule introductory meetings with potential clients.
2. The Name and Date of Death of the Deceased or The Name of the Incapable Person
During an intake call, the clerk will ask you whether the matter involves a deceased or incapable person. For a matter involving a deceased person, the clerk will require their full name and date of death. In the case of an incapable person, the clerk will only require their full name. This information is required to complete a conflict search (which I will discuss in the next section).
- If There is a Will or No Will – (Deceased)
- If the matter involves a deceased person, the clerk will ask whether they died with a will (“testate”) or without a will (“intestate”). This is so that the assigned lawyer knows whether instructions have been left about the distribution of Estate assets.
- If There are POA Documents – (Incapable)
- If the matter involves an incapable person, the clerk will ask whether there is/are Power of Attorney(s) for personal care and property. This is so that the assigned lawyer knows whether there is someone to make decisions on behalf of the incapable person with respect to their care and property.
3. All Parties Involved in the Matter
When law firms take calls from potential clients, it is required by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) that the responsible lawyer clerk, etc. complete a conflict search of all names involved in the matter. This way, we can ensure that we are not currently representing (or have previously represented) any parties involved, which would create a conflict.
Any significant persons involved in the matter need to be shared with the correct spelling of their name, any names they are “also known as”, as well as their role in the matter. For example, you need to explain whether the individual is an Estate Trustee, Beneficiary, Power of Attorney, etc.
4. A Brief Summary of the Situation At-Hand
By providing a brief summary of your matter, the clerk can gain a better understanding of the services you require and determine whether their firm would be best suited to your needs.
For instance, you can discuss any general issues you have encountered with other parties, and how it may be interfering with the administration of an Estate. This communicates what type of matter the firm might be dealing with and the next steps the assigned lawyer would need to take.
While specific questions about fees and retainment cannot be discussed at the time of the intake call, providing this information is essential for Estate lawyers to fully understand your situation and know how to best help you.
Hannah Henley
Nothing contained in this post constitutes legal advice or establishes a solicitor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding your legal rights or legal obligations, you should consult a lawyer.
