{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/family-procedure-rules-2010/rule-1.4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/family-procedure-rules-2010/rule-1.4.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2010/2955",
  "legislation_title": "The Family Procedure Rules 2010",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/family-procedure-rules-2010",
  "path": "rule/1.4",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "1.4",
  "heading": "Court's duty to manage cases",
  "text": "(1) The court must further the overriding objective by actively managing cases.\n(2) Active case management includes—\n(a) setting timetables or otherwise controlling the progress of the case;\n(b) identifying at an early stage—\n(i) the issues; and\n(ii) who should be a party to the proceedings;\n(c) deciding promptly—\n(i) which issues need full investigation and hearing and which do not; and\n(ii) the procedure to be followed in the case;\n(d) deciding the order in which issues are to be resolved;\n(e) controlling the use of expert evidence;\n(f) encouraging the parties to use a non-court dispute resolution procedure if the court considers that appropriate and facilitating the use of such procedure;\n(g) helping the parties to settle the whole or part of the case;\n(h) encouraging the parties to co-operate with each other in the conduct of proceedings;\n(i) considering whether the likely benefits of taking a particular step justify the cost of taking it;\n(j) dealing with as many aspects of the case as it can on the same occasion;\n(k) dealing with the case without the parties needing to attend at court;\n(l) making use of technology; and\n(m) giving directions to ensure that the case proceeds quickly and efficiently.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Rule 1.4(2) substituted (31.1.2013) by The Family Procedure (Amendment) (No.5) Rules 2012 (S.I. 2012/3061), rules 1, 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in rule 1.4(2)(f) substituted (22.4.2014) by The Family Procedure (Amendment No. 3) Rules 2014 (S.I. 2014/843), rules 1, 3"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2955/rule/1.4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T02:22:56.480940+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}