Rule 1.Scope and purpose

Rule 1 marks out the territory these rules cover: civil actions and proceedings in Wyoming courts. It carves out two exceptions. Chancery court cases sit outside this rulebook, and Rule 81 lists a separate set of special proceedings — probate, certain statutory actions, and the like — that follow their own procedural paths rather than the general civil rules. Anyone wondering whether a particular filing is governed by these rules should start here, then check Rule 81 if the case looks like it might fall into one of the carved-out categories.

The second sentence sets the tone for everything that follows. Courts and parties are told to construe, administer, and employ the rules to secure a just, speedy, and inexpensive determination. That instruction is not a standalone right a litigant can invoke to skip a deadline or dodge a requirement, but it is the lens through which judges read the more technical rules — favoring outcomes that resolve disputes on the merits and without needless delay or expense over outcomes driven by procedural gamesmanship.