Family law (Ontario) legislation. The case conference is the first step in family court. It is basic and usually unavoidable. Conferences are mandated by the rules of the court and are intended to provide a context in which the parties (and the court) may assess the situation, before the case may proceed forward. There must be at least one conference, but there may be several. Conferences require document preparation and prove more or less successful depending on the level of preparation and co-operation of the parties.