Youth Court – contacting the Court without a lawyer
This information is for you if:
● you have a case in the Youth Court, and
● you do not have a lawyer.
This is called “representing yourself.” This information explains how to contact the Court about your case. It does not explain how to file (send in) documents. Contact the Registry if you need help with that.
Always send your messages to the Youth Court Registry.
| Key word: Registry The Registry is the Court office. They handle paperwork and pass on messages. |
Do not contact the Judge or Magistrate directly. Do not contact their office (called “chambers”) either.
The Registry will pass your message to the Judge or Magistrate if needed
You can contact the Registry about things like:
- your court date
- sending in documents, like written statements
- how court works
- asking for more time (called an “adjournment”)
- asking to join court by phone or video
- telling the Court if you cannot come, or if something is making it hard to attend
The Registry may pass your request to the Judge or Magistrate to decide.
Every time you write to the Court, you must:
- include your court file number and the names of everyone in the case (called “parties”).
- send a copy to everyone else in the case at the same time — for example, by adding them as a Cc on the email
Do not send the Court messages about the details of your case. This includes:
- your side of the story
- evidence
- arguments about what you think the Court should decide
| Example — OK to send: “Can I please get a new court date? I have a medical appointment that day.” |
| Example — Do NOT send: “Here is my evidence and my side of what happened.” |
You can only send details about your case if:
- the Court has asked you for that information, or
- everyone else in the case agrees first.