The people who are involved in
the case are called parties.
One or more of the parties will
probably want to see you before the hearing to go through
your evidence. This is useful and will give you an idea
of the type of questions you will be asked at the hearing.
It also gives you an opportunity to ask questions. You
are not legally required to do this if you do not want
to.
You should make sure you have
the correct details of the date, time and place of the
hearing. Street addresses, maps and contact telephone
numbers are available in the 'Contacts'
section of this site. Organise any papers about the case
that you have and bring them to Court so that you can
refer to them easily if necessary.
All Federal Court buildings have
wheelchair access. Each Registry
also has TTY facilities and courtrooms with hearing
loops to assist people who have hearing disabilities.
You may need to wait some time
before being called to give evidence. You can have a friend
attend Court with you to keep you company.
Many people have never been into
a courtroom before. It is a good idea to visit the Court
before the case to see where the hearing will take place.
A virtual tour of a typical
courtroom is available for viewing at this site.
Courts are usually open to the
public and you can watch other cases to get some idea
of the way the Court functions.
If you have any problems with
understanding or speaking English, with reading, poor
eyesight or any health issue which affects your mobility,
you should tell the person or the lawyer who asked you
to come to Court.
