Reprobate
04-05-2005, 12:56 AM
This information may help those are faced with a Family Law matter....
Family Court (http://www.familycourt.gov.au/). Divorce? Contact orders regarding the kiddies? This is where you go. But not to be confused with...
Family Law (http://www.familylaw.gov.au/accesspoint/). This is part of the Attorney Generals Department. So this is not a court as such. It does have lots of information.
Though you may very well go through the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia (http://www.fmc.gov.au) to sort out your mess. Of special note is information such as Court Forms (http://www.fmc.gov.au/forms/index.html) and Fees (http://www.fmc.gov.au/html/fees.html) (that bit is VERY scary). And How the Court Works (http://www.fmc.gov.au/services/index.html)
From personal experience* I've been told that if I were to do Consent Orders (the ex and I come to an agreement... pfft) it would be signed off by the Family Court Registrar. For a court application in dispute a Federal Magistrate presides.
Things are a little different in Newcastle though. Here we have the Family Court and the Federal Magistrates in the same building. A Court Counsellor told me (blame her if the information is incorrect) that everywhere else the Courts are in seperate locations.
[Edit by Sagacious 04-05-05 11.06am] In brisbane the Family Court and the Federal Magistrates Courts are co-located also. The counsellor was speaking through her hat!
Though they are now changing the system and integrating the two (told to me by a clerk in the Registry).
Law Access (http://www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au/) have been excellent for me in terms of getting information on what to do and where to find it. They do all sorts of legal matters.
When I've rung up I first spoke to a trained operator. NOT a solicitor. They may or may not have the experience and knowledge necessary to give you the information you need. But they do know whether or not they should refer you to one of their solicitiors.
Typically they'll make an 'appointment' for you and within the next day or two one of their solicitors will ring you.
A lot of what you've told the operator will be in docs on the system for them to peruse over. And anything you tell them will be added. Which was good for me because when I called up again 6 months later they already had all the background information.
Call them on 1300 888 529. Though I think you have to be a NSW resident to use them.
Legal Aid NSW (http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/asp/index.asp). My experience with Legal Aid is that I once actually got a legal aid grant. I found out a year LATER when I accidently got a letter saying that it was about to be stopped.
Some half arsed solicitor didn't bother contacting me about it at the time I got the grant. But that's okay, I represented myself and won three from three. It would have been wonderful to have the aid backdated to cover my legal expenses I had incurred in the year before from a seperate yet related matter. But that's okay, I didn't need that $20K+ anyway :p
Legal Aid, for the uninformed, and from my lack of experience except for having to face off with the solicitors who have been funded by Legal Aid and representing my ex, is that there are two things you must know about...
There is Legal Aid itself. And they will give you advice or represent you, if you pass the criteria. And then there's normal every day solicitors who can on your behalf apply for Legal Aid.
So Legal Aid funds your case with the solicitor of your 'choice' (choice may be limited, some firms won't touch it).
I may start another thread called 'My experience or lack thereof with Legal Aid'.
Now if anyone else wishes to expand or correct what I have said, by all means do.
* Please go double check ANYTHING I have to say. I have absolutely no legal qualifications. My experience has been through almost 5 years of court applications, responses and other hearings.
Family Court (http://www.familycourt.gov.au/). Divorce? Contact orders regarding the kiddies? This is where you go. But not to be confused with...
Family Law (http://www.familylaw.gov.au/accesspoint/). This is part of the Attorney Generals Department. So this is not a court as such. It does have lots of information.
Though you may very well go through the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia (http://www.fmc.gov.au) to sort out your mess. Of special note is information such as Court Forms (http://www.fmc.gov.au/forms/index.html) and Fees (http://www.fmc.gov.au/html/fees.html) (that bit is VERY scary). And How the Court Works (http://www.fmc.gov.au/services/index.html)
From personal experience* I've been told that if I were to do Consent Orders (the ex and I come to an agreement... pfft) it would be signed off by the Family Court Registrar. For a court application in dispute a Federal Magistrate presides.
Things are a little different in Newcastle though. Here we have the Family Court and the Federal Magistrates in the same building. A Court Counsellor told me (blame her if the information is incorrect) that everywhere else the Courts are in seperate locations.
[Edit by Sagacious 04-05-05 11.06am] In brisbane the Family Court and the Federal Magistrates Courts are co-located also. The counsellor was speaking through her hat!
Though they are now changing the system and integrating the two (told to me by a clerk in the Registry).
Law Access (http://www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au/) have been excellent for me in terms of getting information on what to do and where to find it. They do all sorts of legal matters.
When I've rung up I first spoke to a trained operator. NOT a solicitor. They may or may not have the experience and knowledge necessary to give you the information you need. But they do know whether or not they should refer you to one of their solicitiors.
Typically they'll make an 'appointment' for you and within the next day or two one of their solicitors will ring you.
A lot of what you've told the operator will be in docs on the system for them to peruse over. And anything you tell them will be added. Which was good for me because when I called up again 6 months later they already had all the background information.
Call them on 1300 888 529. Though I think you have to be a NSW resident to use them.
Legal Aid NSW (http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/asp/index.asp). My experience with Legal Aid is that I once actually got a legal aid grant. I found out a year LATER when I accidently got a letter saying that it was about to be stopped.
Some half arsed solicitor didn't bother contacting me about it at the time I got the grant. But that's okay, I represented myself and won three from three. It would have been wonderful to have the aid backdated to cover my legal expenses I had incurred in the year before from a seperate yet related matter. But that's okay, I didn't need that $20K+ anyway :p
Legal Aid, for the uninformed, and from my lack of experience except for having to face off with the solicitors who have been funded by Legal Aid and representing my ex, is that there are two things you must know about...
There is Legal Aid itself. And they will give you advice or represent you, if you pass the criteria. And then there's normal every day solicitors who can on your behalf apply for Legal Aid.
So Legal Aid funds your case with the solicitor of your 'choice' (choice may be limited, some firms won't touch it).
I may start another thread called 'My experience or lack thereof with Legal Aid'.
Now if anyone else wishes to expand or correct what I have said, by all means do.
* Please go double check ANYTHING I have to say. I have absolutely no legal qualifications. My experience has been through almost 5 years of court applications, responses and other hearings.