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Information and links to legal reference material.

Supreme Court process

Find information on Court rules, Practice Notes and Registrar's Notes in the Law and Practice section of this website.

Legislation

Commonwealth legislation

If you know the title of the legislation you are looking for, you can search the Federal Register of Legislation website for information about Commonwealth Acts, legislative instruments (Regulations) and related legislative material.

Visit the Federal Register of Legislation.

State legislation

Search the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website to find authorised electronic versions of legislation produced for each Act that has come into effect since January 2011, and each new Statutory Rule.

Visit Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents.

Reference books

Annotated Rules of Court

Author: Richard E. Cook.
Guidance on procedure, including relevant legislation and principles.

Civil Procedure Victoria

Authors: Arthur, John K, Bailey, David L. & Williams, Neil J.
Guidance on civil litigation in Victoria, including commentary on the practice of law in Victoria and how it is being applied in the latest cases, and the forms, practice notes and scales of costs involved in running matters in the Victorian courts and VCAT.

Law libraries

Law Library Victoria

The Law Library Victoria is an important resource for the courts, legal profession and the community.  It includes the combined collections of the Supreme Court, County Court, Magistrates’ Court and VCAT. Members of the public cannot borrow items from the Law Library Victoria, but can visit the Supreme Court Library during opening hours and use its computers, which contain a wide range of digital legal resources.

Visit the Law Library Victoria's website.

Victoria Legal Aid’s Public Law Library

This is one of the only specialist law libraries open to members of the public. Experienced librarians can help you locate legislation, case law, or other legal material from its collection. The library offers free wireless internet access, public use computers and a photocopier.

Visit Victoria Legal Aid's Public Law Library website.

Other resources

Australian Guide to Legal Citation

A guide for citing legal sources, such as cases, legislation and other reference material. A non-printable PDF version is available free via the link above. A printed copy can be obtained for a fee.

View the University of Melbourne's Legal Citation Style Guides.

Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII)

AustLII provides free access to Australasian legal materials via its website. It publishes primary legal materials (legislation, treaties and decisions of courts and tribunals), secondary legal materials created by public bodies (e.g. law reform and Royal Commission reports) and a substantial collection of law journals.

Visit the AustLII website.

Victoria Legal Aid

Victoria Legal Aid provides Victorians with reliable, easy-to-understand legal information in one spot to make dealing with legal issues simpler. Its aim is to give people an awareness and understanding of legal issues and their rights, together with the confidence they need to deal with disputes and access the justice system.

Visit the Victorian Legal Aid's website.

Law Handbook: Your practical guide to the law in Victoria

The Law Handbook contains free information about the laws that affect Victorians in everyday life.

Visit the Law Handbook website

Legal Literate app

The Legal Literate app is a plain English legal glossary app. It contains legal and judicial terms to assist people attending or working at Australian courts and tribunals.

The Legal Literate app is available for download via the Apple Apps store or Google Play store.

The Legal Literate app has been produced by the Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity and provides explanations of a range of legal terms. However, some of the definitions included in the app may relate more specifically to criminal proceedings than civil proceedings. The Supreme Court of Victoria has produced a glossary of key legal terms that may also be of assistance to litigants involved in a civil proceeding. View the Supreme Court glossary.