Set the witness order for a Victorian personal injury trial
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the lawyer's witness list and the document index, set out the order of witnesses and the documents to be shown to each. The tool does not prepare the bundle given to the associate.
- What the lawyer must review
- The lawyer settles the order and the bundle given to the associate.
- Expect a provisional list at the trial management directions hearing.
- At the final directions hearing, list the expert and lay witnesses, and any interpreter, video link or special need.
- Put documents that are not in the key documents file in the witness bundle.
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 under Practice Note SC CL 3
Produce. A witness order with document pages. The lawyer settles anything given to the associate.
Have ready. The lawyer's witness list; The document index; The final directions date.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The order lists the treating doctor before the plaintiff, and the clinical notes are not in the key file. The checklist puts those notes in the witness bundle. The lawyer settles the bundle.
Stop and hand it back when
- The witness list has not been settled by the lawyer.
- The tool is asked to write the joint memorandum.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | From the lawyer's witness list and the document index, set out the order of witnesses and the documents to be shown to each. The tool does not prepare the bundle given to the associate. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- At the trial management directions hearing, provide a provisional list of witnesses and say whether the timetable has been met.
- At the final directions hearing, confirm judge alone or jury, the fees, the transcript, and the list of proposed expert and lay witnesses.
- Say whether a witness needs an interpreter or a video link, whether a view is likely, and whether a witness has special needs.
- Documents to be shown to a witness, which do not belong in the key documents file, go in a bundle given to the associate before that witness's evidence.
Sources
- Supreme Court of Victoria, Practice Note SC CL 3, sections 9 and 10 · 2026-10-23
- Supreme Court of Victoria, Practice Note SC GEN 25 · 2026-10-23
- County Court of Victoria, PNCCV 1-2026 · 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.
The joint memorandum includes a short outline of the evidence. The lawyer writes that memorandum. It is a guide of three to four pages and is not a substitute for the pleadings.