Your Small Claims Document Brief: Getting Organized for Court

Before a settlement conference in Ontario Small Claims Court, each party must serve the others and file a list of proposed witnesses and copies of the documents they intend to rely on, by the deadline in the court's rules. Doing this well also prepares you for trial.

Build your brief

1. Gather everything: contracts, invoices, receipts, photos, emails and texts.
2. Choose what matters. Leave out documents that don't help prove or answer the claim.
3. Put it in date order and number every page.
4. Add an index listing each document, its date and page number.
5. Highlight sparingly, only the key lines.

Your witness list

For each witness: their name, contact details, and a short note of what they saw or know. Expert evidence, such as a repair estimate, has its own rules: check them early.

Serving and filing

Serve your brief on every other party and file it with the court before the deadline. Bring copies for the judge, the other side and yourself.

Why it matters

At a settlement conference, the judge often gives a view of the case based on these documents. A clear brief can lead to a fair settlement.

Sources

• Rules of the Small Claims Court (O. Reg. 258/98)
• Ontario: getting ready for court

Read next: You Won in Small Claims Court. Now What?

General Ontario legal information, not legal advice for your matter, and reading it does not create a retainer. Sources checked 15 October 2026: check the current law, forms and dates before you act.

Photos from Pexels: Reviewing documents with a highlighter · A wooden gavel on a courtroom table beside case folders.

This article is general information for people in Ontario, not legal advice. Rules, forms and deadlines change, and every situation is different. Check the current rule or speak to a licensed legal professional before you act.