Start with the kind of dispute you have
A civil dispute is decided by what kind of claim it is. That decides which court or tribunal hears it, what has to be proved, and how long you have to start. These pages take the six kinds this site covers and set out each one.
General information, not legal advice. This page sets out how the law generally applies. It does not take account of your circumstances, and you should get advice about your own situation before acting on it. The official sources this page is written from are listed on it; where they differ from anything here, they are the authority.
Most people arrive knowing what happened to them rather than what to call it, and the name matters more than it should: the same set of facts can be a contract claim, a negligence claim or a consumer claim, and each runs on different rules and sometimes a different time limit.
If you are not sure which of these fits, start with the guide on which court hears your claim, or say what happened through the contact form and we will tell you which one it is.
Money you are owed, or are being asked for
The two most common civil disputes, and the two where acting early changes the most.
Debt recovery
For an unpaid invoice or a loan that has not been repaid. What a letter of demand does and does not achieve, which court hears the claim, and what recovering a judgment actually involves once you have one.
Contract disputes
Where an agreement has not been performed, or the parties disagree about what it required. Written, verbal and part-written contracts, what counts as a breach, and what you can recover.
Where something was done to you
Claims that turn on fault or on a statutory right rather than on an agreement.
Negligence claims
Where a duty of care was owed and not met. What has to be proved, how the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) affects damages, and why the limitation period here is often shorter than people expect.
Consumer claims
Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law, when a problem counts as major, and how a consumer claim runs at NCAT rather than in a court.
Defamation
The serious harm element, the concerns notice that must come before proceedings, and the short limitation period that applies to publication.
Disputes about land and buildings
Property disputes
Boundaries, easements, co-ownership and disputes arising out of a sale. Which of these belong in the Supreme Court and which do not.
If a date may be running
Not sure which one fits?
Describe what happened rather than what to call it. Naming the claim is our job, and it is usually the first thing we do.