What is the Local Court of New South Wales?

The local court of New South Wales is the lowest level of court jurisdiction in New South Wales. The are more than 160 local courts in New South Wales and it hears summary offences as well as some indictable ones as well as committal hearings. Its civil jurisdiction is for claims of up to $60,000.00 and has a jurisdiction to hear AVO applications. Magistrates are capable of making an order for imprisonment of up to three years. The local court also contains the coroner’s court and children’s court jurisdictions.
The vast majority of claims for an ordinary person or a small business relate to local court claims. For instance, if your company is owed a debt by another company then you would issue a statement of claim in the local court of New South Wales and attempt to recover the debt through litigation in this manner. This would take you through the process of there being a hearing and possibly the filing of a defence, then judgement and a notices of motion for an examination order or a writ of repossession. If this debt was not then paid you could petition for the bankruptcy of the debtor.

Another very common type of case in the New South Wales Local Court is an AVO. In some instances a person who is being threatened or abused will apply for an AVO, but it is also within the powers of the police to apply for an AVO on behalf of another person if it believed to be necessary for their personal protection. Other types of local court matters are ones heard before magistrates which are criminal matters of drink driving, theft, assault and other petty crimes which are tried summarily. If you have a local court matter which you would like some legal assistance with, we would be more than happy to assist you with any possible type of enquiry which you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact us using the form to the right or the contact details on our contact page.