Text of the provision

Art. 243. A preliminary conference shall be conducted by the judge personally without the parties being assisted by counsel. After the initial conference, if the court deems it useful, the parties may be assisted by counsel at the succeeding conferences and hearings.

(n)

Family Code of the Philippines, Executive Order No. 209, approved July 6, 1987. The Code took effect on August 3, 1988 (Republic v. Orbecido III, G.R. No. 154380, October 5, 2005). Reproduced in full.

What this article means

The summary proceeding starts informally. The judge personally runs a preliminary conference, and at that first meeting the parties appear without lawyers. The aim is a direct, unadversarial exchange that may resolve the matter quickly.

Counsel is not banned outright — after the initial conference, if the court finds it useful, the parties may be assisted by counsel at later conferences and hearings.

Related provisions

Cases interpreting this article

Note. The text of the provision above is reproduced in full from the official enactment. The annotation, case summaries and commentary around it are the work of Vivas & Nobles Law Office and are general legal information, not legal advice. Whether this provision applies to a particular marriage depends on facts that only a lawyer reviewing your situation can assess.