(A) Filing of Pleadings. All petitions and other pleadings filed pursuant to A.R.S. § 25-381.09 and Rule 68(b), ARFLP, must be filed with the Clerk of the Court and served upon the opposing party. Conciliation proceedings shall be assigned file numbers with the letter “X” as a prefix. Conciliation petitions may also be submitted at the Conciliation Court. The Conciliation Court will review all petitions for compliance with the statute before filing by the Clerk of the Court.

(B) Statements of Pending Proceedings. Petitions for Conciliation must state, in addition to the requirements of A.R.S. § 25-381.11, whether there is a pending legal proceeding between the parties.

(C) Minute Entry Concerning Pending Action. If an action for annulment, dissolution of marriage, or legal separation is pending, upon the filing of a conciliation petition, the pending action is stayed pursuant to Rule 68(b)(4)(B), ARFLP, and the matter may be transferred to the Conciliation Court pursuant to A.R.S. § 25-381.19.

(D) Hearings; Notices, Mailings and Response. After the filing of a conciliation petition, or after the transfer of a pending family law case by order of the Court, a judicial officer will direct the Conciliation Court to schedule a time and place for a conciliation hearing. The Conciliation Court must mail notice of the date and time of the hearing to each of the parties at least 5 days prior to the conciliation hearing. Hearings will be conducted by a professional staff member of the Conciliation Court unless otherwise ordered by a judicial officer. A conciliation hearing may be recessed to a later time or rescheduled before the Presiding Judge of the Conciliation Court or assigned Superior Court Judicial Officer from the Family Law Bench. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the conciliation proceedings must be terminated 60 days after the filing of the petition.

Failure to attend the conciliation hearing without good cause may be deemed a contempt of court.