Practice Notes provide information about particular aspects of the Court's practice, procedure and organisation. They sit alongside the Rules of Court to provide guidance in relation to the conduct of proceedings. Lawyers with the conduct of proceedings are expected to be familiar with their content and act in accordance with that guidance unless directed otherwise.
From 30 January 2017 the Court introduces a new system of publishing and organising its Practice Notes to make them easier to locate and navigate and ensure the information provided is up to date.
Each Practice Note is designated with the letter "SC" followed by an abbreviation denoting the Division of the Court to which it applies or the General designation followed by a number.
| SC CA | Court of Appeal |
| SC CC | Commercial Court |
| SC CL | Common Law Division |
| SC CR | Criminal Division |
| SC GEN | General |
Where changes are made to a Practice Note, it will retain its designation. The body of the Practice Note will contain its new operative date and a history of amendments and a copy of the superseded version will be retained in the Practice Notes Archive.
Notices to the Profession provide information to practitioners about matters of a more temporal nature such as advising which judges are responsible for which specialist lists for the year; reminders to the profession about certain rules and practices if it appears there is confusion or non-compliance and notices from the Prothonotary or a Registrar about a matter of registry practice.
| Practice note | Division | Date of publication | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
Practice Note No. 11 of 2015 Sentencing Hearings Practice Note No. 11 of 2015 concerning sentencing hearings in the Supreme Court will come into effect of 1 March 2015. The Practice Note replaces Practice Note No. 3 of 2011 and reflects legislative…Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No. 11 of 2015 Sentencing Hearings (pdf 56.61KB) Practice Note No. 11 of 2015 Sentencing Hearings (doc 502.50KB) | |
Practice Note No. 8 of 2015 Valuation, Compensation and Planning List This Practice Note replaces Practice Note No. 6 of 2006 and Notice to the Profession 2010 (Valuation, Compensation & Planning List), and provides updated guidance on the operation of the…Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No. 8 of 2015 Valuation, Compensation and Planning List (pdf 137.99KB) Practice Note No. 8 of 2015 Valuation, Compensation and Planning List (doc 124.00KB) | |
Notice to the Profession 2015 - Interrogatories in proceedings in the Civil Circuit List This notice clarifies that the limitation on interrogatories in the Personal Injuries, Dust Diseases, and Major Torts Lists applies to similar proceedings in the Civil Circuit List.Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Notice to the Profession 2015 - Interrogatories in proceedings in the Civil Circuit List (pdf 23.08KB) Notice to the Profession 2015 - Interrogatories in proceedings in the Civil Circuit List (docx 47.46KB) | |
Practice Note No 7 of 2016 - Conditional Admission This Practice Note commences on 1 April 2016 and will apply to all relevant applications on or after that date.Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No 7 of 2016 - Conditional Admission (pdf 208.35KB) Practice Note No 7 of 2016 - Conditional Admission (docx 53.78KB) | |
Practice Note No. 6 of 2015 Probate List This Practice Note replaces Practice Note No. 5 of 2011, and provides updated guidance on the operation of the Probate List, a specialist case management list within the Common Law Division of the…Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No. 6 of 2015 Probate List (pdf 126.98KB) Practice Note No. 6 of 2015 Probate List (docx 60.32KB) | |
Practice Note No. 5 of 2015 Professional Liability List This Practice Note replaces Practice Note No. 3 of 2012, and provides updated guidance on the operation of the Professional Liability List, a specialist case management list within the Common Law…Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No. 5 of 2015 Professional Liability List (pdf 128.10KB) Practice Note No. 5 of 2015 Professional Liability List (docx 61.98KB) | |
Practice Note No. 1 of 2015 Civil Circuit List This Practice Note replaces Practice Note No. 3 of 2010 and Notice to the Profession 2012 - Civil Circuits, and provides updated guidance on the operation of the Civil Circuit List, a specialist case…Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No. 1 of 2015 Civil Circuit List (pdf 141.16KB) Practice Note No. 1 of 2015 Civil Circuit List (docx 59.58KB) | |
Practice Note No. 10 of 2015 Conduct of Group Proceedings (Common Law Division) This Practice Note replaces Practice Notes No. 8 and No. 9 of 2010, and provides guidance on the management and conduct of Group Proceedings managed within the Common Law Division of the Supreme…Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No. 10 of 2015 Conduct of Group Proceedings (Common Law Division) (pdf 139.03KB) Practice Note No. 10 of 2015 Conduct of Group Proceedings (Common Law Division) (docx 66.64KB) | |
Practice Note No. 4 of 2015 Major Torts List This Practice Note replaces Practice Note No. 1 of 2012, and provides updated guidance on the operation of the Major Torts List, a specialist case management list within the Common Law Division of…Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No. 4 of 2015 Major Torts List (pdf 136.94KB) Practice Note No. 4 of 2015 Major Torts List (docx 65.32KB) | |
Practice Note No. 7 of 2015 Testators Family Maintenance List This Practice Note establishes the Testators Family Maintenance List as a specialist case management list within the Common Law Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria. The procedures set out in…Note: This practice note has been archived. |
General | Practice Note No. 7 of 2015 Testators Family Maintenance List (pdf 142.65KB) Practice Note No. 7 of 2015 Testators Family Maintenance List (docx 58.77KB) |