What do I need to do at a Directions Hearing?

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You must attend the Directions Hearing in person or by telephone link

Usually a Tribunal Member will consider a number of different complaints one after another at a Directions Hearing. There will probably be a different complaint having a Directions Hearing before or after your matter. Even though your matter will be set down for hearing at a particular time, it might start later if the matter before it is running late. You must wait until the Tribunal reaches your matter.

If you do not attend in person or by telephone, the Directions Hearing will go ahead without you and the Tribunal Member may order Directions in your absence.

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Answer any questions that the Tribunal Member asks you

The Tribunal Member may ask you questions about what has happened so far in relation to the complaint. You should listen carefully to any questions and answer them as clearly as you can. The Tribunal Member will ask you more questions if necessary.

Remember, this is not the time to argue about why your case is right and the other side is wrong. This happens at the Final Hearing.

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If you don’t understand something, ask the Tribunal Member to explain it to you

The Tribunal Members understand that self-represented people are not lawyers and will explain what you need to do.

Tribunal Members cannot give you legal advice or advice about how to prove your case.

However, if you don’t understand what has been said or what Directions have been ordered, you should tell the Tribunal Member and ask her/him to explain it to you further.

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You should be polite

Even though you may feel very angry about the complaint, you should be polite at the Directions Hearing and listen to what everyone has to say.

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If you can, make a note of the Directions which the Member orders

The Tribunal Registry will write to you after the Directions Hearing and tell you what Directions have been ordered. However, sometimes things need to be done very quickly, so you may find it useful to make a note of the Directions which are ordered.

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