The main difference between voluntary and contentious jurisdiction is the presence of conflict. In contentious jurisdiction, there is a dispute between the parties that a judge must resolve, as in a trial. Voluntary jurisdiction, on the other hand, does not involve conflict; the parties agree, but they need a judge to oversee, authorize, or formalize certain legal acts for them to be valid. Contentious jurisdiction is adversarial, while voluntary jurisdiction is more administrative and less adversarial.