I am self-represented in a migration decision review. It’s quite intimidating coming up against a government department and I worry that their representatives will take up all the time with their legal or technical talk and not leave me enough time to tell my story.
Lawyer Answers (1): Answers from lawyers are general preliminary responses. They are not formal legal advice and cannot taken account of all your circumstances. They do not create a lawyer–client relationship.
Answer by Alison Christou, Brisbane 4000 QLD
- At the heart of administrative law is a desire for fairness.
- In fact if all parties do not have a genuine opportunity to put their case it can cause significant legal problems down the track.
- The other party will not be given more time than you will just because they are a government agency. However if they have good lawyers they may be more precise with explaining their case.
- You can follow these suggestion to better your presentation:
- during hearings discussions or conciliation meetings listen carefully to the person in charge of proceedings;
- if they set out the issues that can be looked at that day it is important to stick to these. Do not go off on tangents; and
- remember that time will be limited in most tribunals and it is important that you focus on the main issues.