University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2000 Civil litigants in the local court: a comparative analysis of the clientele using the New South Wales Local Court in the Civil Jurisdiction at the Downing Centre Court Complex in Sydney Pamela A. Wilde University of Wollongong Recommended Citation Wilde, Pamela A., Civil litigants in the local court: a comparative analysis of the clientele using the New South Wales Local Court in the Civil Jurisdiction at the Downing Centre Court Complex in Sydney, Master of Laws (Honours) thesis, Faculty of Law, University of Wollongong, 2000. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/4277 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Civil Litigants in the Local Court. A Comparative Analysis of the Clientele Using the New South Wales Local Court in the Civil Jurisdiction at the Downing Centre Court Complex in Sydney. A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Master of Laws (Honours) from University of Wollongong by Pamela A. Wilde BA, LLB F acuity of Law 2000 1 CHAPTER 0 NE ............................................ , ............................................................................................ 6 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 REFORM AND EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ................................................................................................ 7 1.2 DEVELOPMENT OF A CLIENT SERVICE Focus ................................................................................. 11 1.3 SEEKING USER SATISFACTION ..............................................................•......................................... 14 1.4 ACCOUNTING FOR THE USE OF PUBLIC RESOURCES ....................................................................... 15 1.5 ASSESSMENT OF DOMINANT USER NEEDS AND SATISFACTION ....................................................... 17 1.6 LAWYERS AND INTERNAL CLIENTS ................................................................................................. 18 1.7 THE PUBLIC AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM ............................................................................................ 19 1.8 IDENTIFYING THE CIVIL COURT USER IN THE LITERATURE ............................................................. 24 1.9 USE OF THE COURT: CAUSES OF ACTION ...............................•........................................................ 31 1.10 THE ROLE OF PLAINTIFF AND DEFENDANT ................................................................................... 34 1.11 THE ROLE OF THE COURT ............................................................................................................. 38 CHAPTER TWO ...................................................................................................................................... 4·2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................... 42 2.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW SOUTH WALES COURT STRUCTURE .................................................. 42 2.2 THE SUPREME COURT ................................................................................................................... 42 2.3 THE DISTRICT COURT ..................................................................................................................... 45 2.4 THE LOCAL COURT ........................................................................................................................ 47 2.s nm DOWNING CENTRE .................................................................................................................. 59 2.6 DATA COLLECTION························································································································· 63 2.7 nmREGISTRYSET ....................•.................................................................................................... 65 2. 7.1 Registry file numbers ............................................................................................................. 67 2. 7.2 Amount ofthe claim ............................................................................................................... 68 2. 7.3 Types ofplaintiffs and defendants ......................................................................................... 69 2. 7. 4 Size ofplaintiff and defendant ............................................................................................... 72 2. 7. 5 Address ofthe plaintiff and defendant ................................................................................... 73 2. 7. 6 Type ofclaim .......................................................................................................................... 74 2. 7. 7 Type ofdefence ...................................................................................................................... 77 2. 7.8 Applications to Change Venue or Set Aside Default Judgment.. ........................................... 77 2. 7.9 Type ofjudgment.................................................................................................................... 78 2.7.10 Results .................................................................................................................................. 79 2. 7.11 Legal representation ............................................................................................................ 80 2.8 THE COURT SET ............................•.................................................................................................. 81 2.8.1 Categories ofdata .................................................................................................................. 81 2.8.2 Forum/or hearing ................................................................................................................. 83 2.8.3 Number ofdirections hearings............................................................................................... 84 2.8.4 Number ofmotions ................................................................................................................. 84 2.8.5 Settlement............................................................................................................................... 84 2.8.6 Results .................................................................................................................................... 85 2. 8. 7 Amount ofthe claim ............................................................................................................... 85 CHAPTER THREE.................................................................................................................................. 87 RESULTS FROM THE REGISTRY SET ............................................................................................. 87 3.1 THE REGISTRY SET PLAINTIFFS······································································································ 87 3.2 PLAINTIFF LOCATION ..................................................................................................................... 88 3 .3 LEGAL REPRESENTATION OF PLAINTIFFS ........................................................................................ 88 3.4 SIZE OF THE CLAIMS······················································································································· 89 3.5 CAUSES OF ACTION .....................••...•............................................................................................. 90 3.6 nm REGISTRY SET DEFENDANTS •......................................................................•........................... 91 3.7 DEFENDAN'T LOCATION .................................................................................................................. 92 3.8 APPLICATIONS TO CHANGE THE VENUE .......................................................................................... 93 3.9 LEGAL REPRESENTATION OF REGISTRY SET DEFENDANTS ............................................................. 93 2 3.10 ENTRY OF JUDGMENT ................•....... , ..........................•.••............................................................ 94 3 .11 RESULTS OF THE REGISTRY SET CASES ........................................................................................ 95 3.12 TEAMS: THE DRAW ANDTHEREGISTRYSETRESULTS ................................................................. 96 CHAPTER FOUR .................................................................................................................................... 99 RESULTS FROM THE COURT SET ................................................................................................... 99 4.1 THE COURT SET PLAINTIFFS··········································································································· 99 4.2 PLAINTIFF LocATION ······················································································································ 99 4.3 LEGAL REPRESENTATION OF THE COURT SET PLAINTIFFS .........•.................................................. 100 4.4 SIZE OF THE COURT SET CLAIMS ........................•........................................................................