Organise a Queensland expert-referral checklist
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- RedLawyer-led
- How AI is used
- Organise the proposed specialty, the questions and the source list into a checklist. Write no instruction to the expert.
- What the lawyer must review
- You select the expert and you write any instruction
- Check any scheme limit on who may give the report before it is booked
- If the expert is to be called, the certificate of readiness must later be able to say the report was obtained
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. Queensland plaintiff personal injury, before a medico-legal expert is booked.
Produce. A checklist the lawyer uses to decide whether to book, and to write any instruction.
Have ready. The proposed specialty and questions; The source list the lawyer has selected; The Act and the stage of the claim.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The checklist shows a question the records do not support. The lawyer removes that question and writes the instruction. The checklist is not sent to the expert.
Stop and hand it back when
- The output is turning into an instruction letter or a report.
- The lawyer has not chosen the expert.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Supporting preparation only. Organise the proposed specialty, the questions and the source list into a checklist. Write no instruction to the expert. The tool writes nothing into the document. Substantive advice, judgement and any restricted content remain with the responsible human. |
| Lawyer | Perform the substantive analysis and decisions. Independently check any permitted supporting work and approve the exact output for its intended use. |
Checklist
- The checklist states the specialty, the questions the lawyer is considering, the documents proposed to be sent, and the questions still unanswered. It is not a letter of instruction.
- The lawyer selects the expert and checks any scheme limit on who may provide the report. No register of authorised practitioners was opened for this version.
- Schedule 1C of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999, as published on AustLII, states an expert's duty to the court. The lawyer confirms the current official reprint before a report is filed.
- Under section 37(2)(c) of the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act, a certificate of readiness states that medical or other expert reports have been obtained from all persons the party proposes to call as expert witnesses at the trial.
Forms and precedents for this task
| Form or precedent | Kind | AI use | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter of instruction to an orthopaedic surgeon | Letter | AI use Yellow | Letter asking an orthopaedic surgeon for diagnosis, causation, capacity and prognosis in a plaintiff claim, with the expert code and artificial intelligence rule for Victoria, Queensland or New South Wales. |
| Letter of instruction to a psychiatrist | Letter | AI use Yellow | Letter asking a psychiatrist for diagnosis, causation, treatment and capacity in a plaintiff claim, and for a clinical view on recognised psychiatric illness, without asking for the legal test. |
| Letter of instruction to an occupational therapist on care | Letter | AI use Yellow | Letter asking an occupational therapist to record care hours, duration, paid and gratuitous help, aids and equipment, without applying a damages threshold or valuing the claim. |
| Letter of instruction to a forensic accountant | Letter | AI use Yellow | Letter asking a forensic accountant to calculate past and future loss of earning capacity on stated assumptions, with the discount rate, percentage and superannuation rate left for the lawyer. |
| Letter of instruction to an engineer | Letter | AI use Yellow | Letter asking an engineer for the condition, the mechanism and the available precautions in a plaintiff claim, with the precautions section named by the lawyer and no conclusion on negligence. |
| Psychiatrist's instructions on a recognised psychiatric illness | Letter | AI use Yellow | Letter asking a psychiatrist whether there is a recognised psychiatric illness for a mental harm claim, without asking the psychiatrist to apply the statutory tests. |
| Letter of instruction to a vocational assessor | Letter | AI use Yellow | Letter asking a vocational assessor for realistic occupations, hours and sourced earnings, without a diagnosis, an impairment score or a valuation. |
| Questions for a treating doctor | Letter | AI use Yellow | Letter asking a treating doctor for the dates, recorded diagnosis, treatment and certificates, with a separate opinion section that is sent only if the expert code is enclosed. |
| Magistrates' Court WorkCover referral to a Medical Panel: completion guide | Form | AI use Red | Link to the Magistrates' Court form parties or their practitioners complete and submit with an application to refer a WorkCover matter to a Medical Panel. |
| County Court notice of intention to refer a medical question to a Medical Panel: guide | Form | AI use Red | Guide to the County Court notice of intention to refer a medical question to a Medical Panel in a serious injury application for a work injury, from the Common Law Division Practice Note of 9 February 2026. |
Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one. All precedents.
Sources
- Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002 (Qld), section 37 · 2026-10-23
- Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld), schedule 1C, AustLII · 2026-10-23
- Supreme Court of Queensland Practice Direction 5 of 2025 · 2026-10-23
The tool writes nothing that is sent to the expert and nothing that is filed. Supreme Court Practice Direction 5 of 2025 and District Court Practice Direction 12 of 2025 apply if a report or a submission later goes to the court.
Health information in the source list stays in a firm-controlled tool. Guidance Statement No. 37 points to confidentiality and to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).