Set the New South Wales witness order and the three-clear-day schedules
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the lawyer's witness list, set out the order of witnesses and the documents to be shown to each, and list the schedules due three clear days before the hearing. The tool does not draft a witness's evidence.
- What the lawyer must review
- The lawyer settles the order and the chronology that is served.
- Have the plaintiff read the chronology before giving evidence. It is then tendered.
- Where experts share a field, arrange concurrent evidence unless the Court exempts the hearing.
- File a joint report no later than two clear days before the hearing.
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. District Court General List hearings under the Practice Note 16 standard orders
Produce. A witness order and a date list for the chronology, schedules and joint report.
Have ready. The lawyer's witness list; The hearing date; Whether the experts' fields are the same.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: Two orthopaedic experts are both giving oral evidence. The order marks concurrent evidence and a joint report two clear days before the hearing. The lawyer confirms the fields match.
Stop and hand it back when
- The hearing date is unknown.
- The tool is asked to write the content of a witness's evidence.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | From the lawyer's witness list, set out the order of witnesses and the documents to be shown to each, and list the schedules due three clear days before the hearing. The tool does not draft a witness's evidence. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Serve the chronology at least three clear days before the hearing.
- Where more than one expert gives oral evidence and the fields are the same or substantially the same, the parties arrange concurrent evidence. If they disagree or doubt that the case is suitable, they seek directions. That order includes an application to exempt the hearing.
- Those experts confer. The joint report states agreement and disagreement and is filed no later than two clear days before the hearing.
- Practice Note SC GEN 23 allows a chronology, an index or a witness list. It does not allow generative AI to generate the content of evidentiary material.
Sources
- District Court of NSW, Civil Practice Note 16, standard orders for hearings · 2026-10-23
- Supreme Court of NSW, Practice Note SC GEN 23 · 2026-10-23
Supreme Court Practice Note SC GEN 23, commenced on 3 February 2025, prohibits generative AI from generating evidentiary content, and requires prior leave before it is used to draft an expert report.
SC GEN 23 allows a chronology, an index or a witness list. No District Court generative AI practice note was opened. Practice Note 16 governs the General List.