The Connecticut Practice Book & Code of Evidence
Two books govern almost everything that happens in a Connecticut family case: the Practice Book (the rules of procedure — how a case moves) and the Code of Evidence (what a judge can actually consider at a hearing). If you are representing yourself, these are the rulebooks the other side already knows. Here is what they are, why they matter, and where to read the current official versions.
The Connecticut Practice Book
The Connecticut Practice Book is the official book of court rules for the Superior Court. It sets out how you start a case, what you must file, the deadlines, how motions are heard, discovery, and pretrial and trial procedure (it also contains the Rules of Professional Conduct and the Code of Judicial Conduct). For family cases, the heart of it is Chapter 25 (Family Matters) — including the automatic orders (Sec. 25-5), the rules for motions and financial affidavits, and the pretrial and trial requirements. When a judge or the other side cites “P.B. Sec. 25-…,” this is the book they mean.
Why it matters to you: the Practice Book is where the rules you are held to actually live. A motion in the wrong form, a missing certification, or a deadline you did not know about can cost you — and none of those rules are secret. Read the section that applies to what you are doing before you file it.
Read the current Practice Book (PDF) → From the Connecticut Judicial Branch. See also the Court Rules page; the print edition is the authoritative one.
The Connecticut Code of Evidence
The Connecticut Code of Evidence governs what a judge is allowed to consider at a hearing or trial — what counts as admissible evidence, how exhibits get in, what hearsay is and its exceptions, how witnesses are examined, privileges, and how documents are authenticated. At a contested hearing, the difference between a document the judge reads and one the judge sets aside is usually a rule in this book.
Why it matters to you: you can have the truth on your side and still lose a point because the evidence was not offered the right way. If you have exhibits (texts, statements, records) or witnesses, the Code of Evidence is how you get them in front of the judge — and how you object when the other side tries to use something improper.
Read the current Code of Evidence (PDF) → From the Connecticut Judicial Branch.
Standing orders: what you must do before a hearing or trial
Connecticut’s Standing Orders for the Management of Trials, Hearings, Case Dates and Resolution Plan Dates (in effect since January 1, 2025) tell you what to prepare and exchange before a family hearing or trial. They do not apply to a restraining-order (TRO) hearing, but for most other matters they generally require:
- A current, sworn financial affidavit if any financial issue is involved — exchanged and filed at least five business days before the trial or hearing.
- Written proposed orders setting out the relief you want (Practice Book Sec. 25-30(c)).
- Copies of your proposed exhibits to the other party (and to the court if the hearing is held remotely).
- For a pretrial conference: a short, non-argumentative memorandum (the ages of the parties and any children, the length of the marriage, the causes of the breakdown, and each party’s education and income), your proposed orders, and — in cases with children — proposed Child Support Guidelines.
Footing can help you prepare several of these. In the app, under Hearing & trial compliance, you can draft a Pretrial Conference Memorandum, Proposed Orders, an Exhibit List, a Witness List, a Trial Management & Hearing Compliance Memorandum, and a Motion for Compliance if the other side has not done their part. The official fill-in forms — the Financial Affidavit, the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, and the Affidavit Concerning Children — are on our Court Forms page.
Read the Connecticut family Standing Orders →