Check a Victorian expert report for the Form 44A code confirmation
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the report the lawyer selects, quote any code confirmation and note the page, the signature and the field of expertise. The tool does not rewrite the report.
- What the lawyer must review
- The lawyer decides whether the report can be served or read.
- Supreme Court reports are checked against Form 44A of the 2025 rules.
- County Court reports are checked against Form 44A of the 2018 County Court rules.
- Leave is required outside the served Supreme Court notices. A new County Court report after mediation needs leave.
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. Supreme Court of Victoria personal injury lists, or the County Court General List
Produce. A code-confirmation checklist marked to the pages of the report.
Have ready. The report; The expert notices already served; The mediation date and the trial date.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The report is signed but contains no code confirmation. The checklist marks Form 44A. The lawyer decides whether it can be served.
Stop and hand it back when
- The report is not the document the expert signed.
- The tool is asked to add a code confirmation the expert has not given.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Do not begin AI assistance until the responsible lawyer has defined and confirmed its permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Practice Note SC GEN 25 says an expert report must comply with the expert witness code and identifies Form 44A of the Supreme Court (General Civil Procedure) Rules 2025.
- County Court note PNCCV 1-2026 identifies Form 44A of the County Court Civil Procedure Rules 2018.
- Practice Note SC CL 3 says the expert process is consistent with Part 4.6 and section 65G of the Civil Procedure Act 2010. Plaintiffs serve a notice identifying the expert evidence intended to be adduced at trial, including each expert's field of expertise. Defendants serve a responsive notice of their intended areas of expert evidence within 21 days of receiving the plaintiff's notice. Leave is required to rely at trial on expert evidence that was not the subject of that notice.
- Where more than one party wants forensic accounting evidence, a single joint expert is expected unless the Court orders otherwise.
- In the County Court General List there are no new medical or expert reports on damages or liability after mediation except with leave. Updated reports may be served within 28 days of trial.
Sources
- Supreme Court of Victoria, Practice Note SC GEN 25 · 2026-10-23
- County Court of Victoria, PNCCV 1-2026 · 2026-10-23
- Supreme Court of Victoria, Practice Note SC CL 3, section 6.B · 2026-10-23
- County Court of Victoria, Common Law Division Practice Note, paragraphs 22.7 and 22.8 · 2026-10-23
Practice Note SC GEN 25, issued on 14 May 2026, covers Supreme Court documents, including pleadings, submissions and expert reports. Do not put confidential or sensitive material into a public AI tool.
County Court practice note PNCCV 1-2026, issued on 5 June 2026, is to the same effect and cites Form 44A of the County Court Civil Procedure Rules 2018.