Information about Registry services
for self-represented litigants
Until your case is heard by a Judge or Registrar,
most of your contact with the Court will be with staff of the Court’s
District Registries. Therefore it is important for you to understand
what staff can and cannot do to help you prepare your case.
Most importantly, Registry staff are not permitted by
law to give you legal advice.
What we can do
We can briefly explain and answer questions
about how the Court works, its practices and procedures.
We can tell you what forms you may need to use and
provide you with guides to help you fill out some of
the forms.
We can give you blank copies of Court forms. These
are also available on the Court’s website.
We can check your forms and other court papers for
completeness (for example, we check for signatures, and
that attachments are present and signed by an authorised person
within your State or Territory).
We can give you information about Court-appointed
referrals for legal assistance under Order 80 of the
Federal Court Rules.
We can provide you with all of the above services
in relation to the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia
(except for family law matters).
What we can’t do
We cannot give you legal advice.
We cannot tell you whether or not you should bring
your case to Court. We strongly advise you to seek legal
advice before commencing a proceeding or appearing as
an unrepresented respondent in a proceeding brought by someone
else.
We cannot recommend a certain lawyer to act on your
behalf.
We cannot tell you what words to use in your court
papers such as forms and affidavits.
We cannot tell you whether you have included enough
information in your court papers.
We cannot tell you what to say in court.
We cannot tell you what the decision of the Court
will be or give you an opinion about what it might be.
We cannot explain orders made by a Judge or Registrar.
We cannot change an order once it has been made
by the Court.
We cannot let you communicate with a Judge, other
than at the hearing.
