Local Court Information

We have compiled information to assist you with getting to the courthouse, what court matters are dealt with at 80 Dundas Street, how to find your matter, local practice directions, and local gowning requirements.

London Court Locations

Our courthouse in London at 80 Dundas Street is home to:

  • The Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Civil and Criminal matters)
  • The Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Family Court Branch (Unified Family Court)
  • The Ontario Court of Justice (Criminal matters)
  • The Divisional Court, during sittings in London
  • The Small Claims Court – Superior Court of Justice
  • The Crown Attorney’s Office
  • Victim’s Services

Non-criminal provincial offences are dealt with at the Provincial Offences Court, located at 824 Dundas Street.

For Tax Court of Canada matters, the hearing location will be indicated on the Notice of Hearing or Scheduling Order. Registry services for the Tax Court of Canada are located in Hamilton.

Location and Building Entrance

The London Courthouse street address is 80 Dundas Street, London, Ontario. The main, and only, entrance is from Queens Avenue, on the north side of the building. The Dundas entrance is not accessible to the public. Enter from the parking circle off of Queens, between Talbot and Ridout. 

Metered street parking is available with a 2-hour time limit. There are also several parking lots in the area, and the City of London has partnered with HonkMobile to allow drivers to pay for parking online and add time to their existing paid period without the need to feed the meter.

Robing Rooms

The Middlesex Law Association has men’s and women’s locker rooms for day use and members are also eligible to rent a locker on an annual basis. The locker rooms are within the MLA Practice Resource Centre, located on the ground floor of the courthouse to the far right once you clear security. There are visitor lockers available for loan at no charge for the duration of your trial. Please speak to the front desk of the MLA Practice Resource Centre to obtain a key. Keys must be signed out and returned at the end of your trial.

London Courthouse WIFI Information

Wireless internet is available within the courthouse, either through the Public account or via the OPSGuest account which requires the completion of an application to gain access. Information on both types of access is below:

Daily Docket & Assignment Court

The Superior Court docket is posted on our home page by 9:00am on the day it covers.

Currently, only the Ontario Court of Justice docket is posted online daily: www.ontariocourtdates.ca.

As a courtesy, the MLA is posting the Superior Court of Justice daily docket and login information for hearings on our home page. The MLA is not responsible for any matters related to court scheduling and MLA staff cannot answer questions or provide any further assistance. Please contact the Superior Court office at 519-660-3000 if you have any questions about the docket.

A hardcopy of the docket is available at the front desk of the MLA Practice Resource Centre. You will also find printed dockets at the courthouse information desk outside of the Court Registrar’s office (ground floor, located by the escalators to the left as you enter), and electronically on the wall-mounted screen to the right of the desk. 

Assignment Court

When setting dates in civil assignment court, participants are expected to take into account the weeks of the spring, fall and statutory judicial meetings. Dates can be located at www.ontariocourts.ca. Please use preceding year dates as a guide if not posted. Civil trials will not begin or continue during the months of July or August. 

Local Practice Directions

Superior Court of Justice – Southwest Region

These are to be consulted in conjunction with the Provincial Practice Directions, Presumptive Guidelines, Notices, Rules and Forms.

Our regional civil practice directions are issued by the Regional Senior Justice. As of June 1, 2023, The Honourable Renee Pomerance is the Regional Senior Justice, taking over from Justice Bruce Thomas. The most recent regional practice directions and memos to date are:

Superior Court of Justice

Our local civil practice directions are issued by the Local Administrative Judge. The Honourable Madam Justice A.K. Mitchell has taken over this role from Justice Grace as of 2023. The most recent civil practice directions and memos to date are:

Superior Court of Justice – London Family Court

Our local family practice directions are issued by the Local Administrative Judge for the Family Court. The Honourable Madam Justice Kiran Sah has taken over this role from Justice Henderson as of 2023. Here are the most recent practice directions and memos, plus a form for special appointments:

Local Court Calendars:

2024 London Superior Court calendar
2024 London Family Court calendar
Southwest Region Divisional Court dates for 2024

Some matters are currently still proceeding virtually.

Ontario Court of Justice

Details on court operations can be found on the Ontario Court of Justice website.

Gowning Requirements

Business attire is required for all court appearances where gowning is not required, as outlined below.

Required

Superior Court, Family Court, Divisional Court & Bankruptcy Matters

  • Appeals
  • Motions
  • Special Appointments
  • Summary Matters
  • Trials

CYFSA Matters

  • Contested Motions
  • Trials

Not Required

Superior Court of Justice:

  • Case Conferences
  • Civil Assignment Court
  • Civil Express Motions (unless it is transferred to a regular judges’ list, then gown)
  • Criminal Assignment Court (date scheduling only) – counsel must gown if appearing for any other reason, such as entering a guilty plea
  • Pre-Trials
  • Settlement Conferences
  • Small Claims Court
  • Trial Management Conference
  • Trial Scheduling Courts

Business attire is required in both Civil and Criminal Assignment Court if gowning is not required.


Superior Court – Family Court (in addition to Superior Court list above)

  • CYFSA matters that aren’t contested motions and trials
  • First Appearances
  • To Be Spoken To Matters

Optional

  • Opening of the Courts
  • Swearing-In Ceremonies
  • Swearing-Out Ceremonies

Gowning During Pregnancy

Counsel who are pregnant are free to modify their traditional court attire in order to accommodate their pregnancy as they see fit, including dispensing with a waistcoat and tabs.

Electronic Case Citations

http://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/practice/practice-directions/provincial/

Filing of Judicial Decisions from Electronic Databases:

  • Copies of judicial decisions obtained from approved electronic databases are acceptable for filing provided the report of the judicial decision contains paragraph numeration consistent with the numbering of the paragraphs in the decision as released by the court. “Approved electronic databases” are databases that are dedicated to the publication of judicial decisions (e.g. Quicklaw, CanLII, and Westlaw).
  • Counsel and parties should be aware that judicial decisions posted on electronic databases may be subject to correction or editing within a few days of the initial posting and, accordingly, parties should ensure that any decision obtained from an electronic database has not been subsequently amended.

Citation of all Judicial Decisions

  • Parties citing decisions from electronic databases should provide the citations for any paper versions of the decision in addition to the citation of the electronic database.
  • Parties should provide the date that the copy of any decision was obtained from an electronic database, as part of the citation information.
  • For decisions of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice released on or after January 1, 2010, parties should provide the neutral citation number (e.g. 2010  ONSC  1) in addition to the other required citations.