Prepare to appear in court
You'll need:
- Your copy of the court documents
- To get familiar with what happens in a Chambers hearing
Organize your court documents
Organize your copy of the court documents so that you can refer to them easily, if necessary. You might want put them all in a binder, for example, or flag specific pages or information with sticky notes.
Watch a Chambers hearing
The hearing will be in a courtroom but it will be more informal than a trial. This is called a Chambers application.
Chambers procedure is different from the court proceedings you see on television. The best way to prepare is to go into court and watch Chambers in action before the day you have to appear. Ask the court registry staff what courtroom Chambers are being held in; then go and watch.
In Chambers, a court clerk calls out the name of each case. The lawyers acting for each person, or the people themselves, step forward. They tell the judge or master their names. Then the lawyer or person who's asking for a court order tells the judge or master what they're asking for and summarizes the "evidence." This evidence is contained in affidavits and exhibits.
That may be all the lawyer or person needs to do. If someone opposes the application, it's then that other lawyer's/person's turn to speak to the judge or master. The judge or master may ask each lawyer or person questions. The judge or master then decides whether to grant the order being sought.
If you watch Chambers, you'll get used to how it works. You'll see how to introduce yourself, where people stand, how to speak to the judge or master, and what to say. For more information, see What happens in a Supreme Court Chambers hearing?
Outline what you'll say
After watching Chambers, prepare an outline of what you're going to say to the judge or master (see Step 7).