Prepare for a Victorian personal injury final directions hearing
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- RedLawyer-led
- How AI is used
- From the orders and the file, list each final-directions item and whether it is done: mode of trial, fees, transcript and witnesses. The tool does not write the material filed for that hearing.
- What the lawyer must review
- The lawyer decides whether the proceeding is ready and attends, or sends a person who is briefed.
- Confirm judge alone or jury, and payment of the trial fee and any jury fee.
- Check the County Court setting-down fee, generally due nine weeks before trial.
- Treat the trial as by judge alone if the first day's jury fee is unpaid.
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 readiness checklist. The lawyer writes what is given to the Court.
Have ready. The trial date; Whether a jury has been requested; The witness list and the fee receipts.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The first day's jury fee was not paid by the date ordered, five weeks before a County Court trial. The checklist marks paragraph 8.17. The lawyer prepares for a judge-alone trial unless the fee is paid as the note allows.
Stop and hand it back when
- The mode of trial has not been decided.
- The tool is asked to certify that the proceeding is ready.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Supporting preparation only. From the orders and the file, list each final-directions item and whether it is done: mode of trial, fees, transcript and witnesses. The tool does not write the material filed for that hearing. 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
- Other than a regional proceeding, appearance at the final directions hearing is compulsory, and the hearing is generally in person, by a person briefed to answer questions on readiness.
- Confirm the issues, any outstanding interlocutory step, readiness, the sitting days, judge alone or jury, the trial fee and any jury fee, transcript, and the witness list.
- Say whether a witness needs an interpreter or a video link, whether a view is likely, and whether a witness has special needs.
- The Court will usually order a callover and hearing form, a joint memorandum and a key documents file.
- County Court General List short-form orders state judge alone or jury and the duration. The setting-down fee is generally paid nine weeks before trial. A party who requested a jury pays the first day's fees five weeks before trial.
Forms and precedents for this task
| Form or precedent | Kind | AI use | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Request for trial date (UCPR Form 48) | Form | AI use Red | Link to UCPR Form 48, Request for trial date: the Brisbane resources page calls the file version 6, and the filename contains v4. |
Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one. All precedents.
Sources
- Supreme Court of Victoria, Practice Note SC CL 3, section 10 · 2026-10-23
- County Court of Victoria, Common Law Division Practice Note, paragraphs 8.13 to 8.17 and 22.4 · 2026-10-23
- Supreme Court of Victoria, Practice Note SC GEN 25 · 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.
Paragraph 22.32, that a jury trial needs a judge's approval, sits in the self-represented section of the County Court note. It is not used here as a rule for every proceeding.