Golden Rules when representing yourself. Part 7

Part 7 on…

THE GOLDEN RULES OF LITIGATION

Remember, success in litigation depends on three things: the facts, the law and the presentation; that is:

1 how strong and reliable your evidence is to establish the facts;
2 whether the law can be used in your favour;
3 how clearly and coherently you present your case.

So with that in mind, here’s number 7…

THE DOs

7. KNOW HOW THE LAW APPLIES TO THE FACTS

This is a 2 part idea. Positive and negative. THIS IS YOUR CASE. This is who you call as a witness and who you don’t. This is what you ask your witnesses and what you cross-examine your ex’s about.

You have your application for parenting orders (either as applicant or respondent), all your documents, videos, affidavits, and witnesses there. How does the law apply to all that. Or more accurately where does your application and all evidence fit to the law to prove your application, to answer every single question / point of law that the Judge must consider?

How does the facts (both good and bad) show the judge that your parenting order answers these points better than your ex’s parenting order does?

A Quick tip.
Write a closing argument first, showing how everything in your case proves, your parenting application answers the sections in Part VII — Children.

List out every witness and what they’re going to say, as if they said it, every video, recording, document, receipt, parenting course certificate, birthday and fathers day card, under each section showing how they prove those key points / questions. List out what you have from your ex or what you think she will try to bring as evidence to prove her application under these sections.

Look it over. You have the facts. You have the law. You have the facts answering each section of the law.

Can Part VII — Children (the law) be used in your favour?

If yes, you have your case and you can win. Not easily. Never easily. But, you can win.

Want to know more? Join the club.

Defend the AVO

Why You Should Always Defend an Apprehended Violence Order

Rochelle Macredie B.A. B.Sc LLB
Solicitor*

The advice in the following article relates primarily to the law in New South Wales. Interstate readers will need to make their own enquiries in order to ascertain whether the legal situation is the same in their jurisdiction.

First of all, we need to define two terms used. The first term is “Applicant” and the second is “Respondent”.

Applicant means the person who applies for an order in this context.

Respondent means the person on whom the order is made.

What Is an Apprehended Violence Order?

An Apprehended Violence Order (“AVO”) is an order made in a Court to protect a person from actual or potential violence.

In the State of New South Wales, they are of two basic types, namely, apprehended domestic violence orders which relate to violence between parties who are in a domestic situation and apprehended personal violence orders, which relate to parties who are not in a domestic situation. The same concept is available in other States within the Commonwealth of Australia.

If your ex-spouse applies for an AVO against you, do turn up at court and do defend that application, otherwise you may find yourself in a position where you lack credibility. Don’t presume that just because you’re innocent that your innocence will be sufficient to protect you.

An excellent reference in legal matters is to be found in the Law Handbook (13th Ed) Redfern Legal Centre Publishing 2014. This book is available for retail sale, free online and is also to be found in most reference libraries.

*Rochelle Macredie is a Solicitor in NSW working with McKenzie Friends. She practices with the Sydney firm Oliveri Attorneys and can be contacted on 0407 896 832 or by email at rochellelawyer (at) gmail.com

The Self Litigant

Where a party to proceedings acts or appears for themselves, unrepresented by a legal practitioner, they can be called a Self Litigant.

McKenzie Friends Club provides a service for those who don’t satisfy requirements of legal aid, can’t afford a legal practitioner, or who choose to self represent.

Here is a list of some of the issues that are addressed by our Self Litigant Service:

  • How the different court systems work
  • What forms to fill in
  • How to act in court
  • How to cross examine
  • How to object
  • What to say in court
  • Data recording
  • Public information
  • How to serve documents
  • Diagrams of court process
  • Definitions and explanations of key words

Our goal is for a Self Litigant to be confident that their performance in court does justice to their cause and is deserving of a fair hearing.

Sound good? Join the Club!