This will seem to be an odd topic, and it's not conventionally recognized - but I think it's important, particularly in light of the number of people presenting cases without lawyers and the recent COVID crisis. 'Forms' are almost ubiquitous in legal procedures today - from fully prescribed forms in most of over 50 tribunals, to the more flexible forms set out in the Rules of Civil Procedure - Forms.
I first appreciated how pernicious forms could be when years ago I had a client's Ontario human rights application returned as improper when I had the audacity to print: "see attached" in the ludicrously small space provided to allege the facts of the case. This absurdity continues, and can as well be manifest in the marked absence of any 'spots' for information that the administrative gate-keepers 'feel isn't necessary'.
In courts, with the rampant growth of direct presenters, I see more court cases now where the courts (and court clerks) are obviously torn between allowing the filing of 'irregular' court documents, and refusing them. In such cases the parties should have regard to RCP R2 ['Non-Compliance with the Rules', below], which set out generous - and often neglected - provisions for unrepresented parties.
