Self-represented. Better prepared.
You don’t have to solve everything today.
Free, practical help for people in Australia facing a legal dispute without a lawyer. Read the letter. Keep the record. Take the next step.
A survival guide for self-represented people
Before you respond to anything, four things only
- 1Save the original and record when it arrived.
- 2Find every stated date, deadline and requested action.
- 3Separate the allegations from the evidence actually provided.
- 4Check for urgent safety or legal-help needs. Get help
The free guides
63 practical guides, from the first letter to preparing for a hearing. Find the one task in front of you.
Browse the guides → 02 / GET ORGANISEDThe working tools
Printable sheets, fillable forms, a sortable workbook and editable letters. Download and use them.
Get the free tools → 03 / GO TO THE SOURCEThe resource directory
Courts, tribunals, legal aid and official information, organised by state and kind of matter.
Find a resource →Start with your situation
What kind of fight is it?
Separation and parentingDivorce, parenting, property after a relationship. Federal court, same rules in every state, and steps required before you can file.
Wills and estatesProbate, executors, contesting a will. State Supreme Courts, and time limits measured in months that differ from state to state.
Money and debtA debt you are chased for or owed. Letters of demand, time-barred debts, small claims, and the free lines that deal with this every day.
WorkDismissal, underpayment, a warning you dispute. Federal rules, a 21-day clock on the main claims, and a commission built for people without lawyers.
Renting and propertyBond, repairs, eviction, a fence, a co-owner. Mostly tribunals, mostly no lawyers allowed, and free tenancy services in every state.
Small business and contractsAn unpaid invoice, a contract gone wrong, a bigger company's lawyers. Read the contract first; most of the answer is in it.
Browse by task
Then pick the task in front of you.
Start here
Where most people start.
The first 48 hours
A stabilisation sequence for a difficult new letter, claim or unexpected order.
Open guide →Legal-letter triage
Let AI read the difficult letter first, protect your emotional bandwidth and identify only the next manageable steps.
Open guide →If you are just starting
You will be more frightened than the situation deserves. It passes. What to hold onto until it does.
Open guide →The short version
Every guide reduced to twelve lines on one A4 page. Pin it where you will see it at 11pm.
Open guide →A fair field
What one self-represented person found to be true about the courts: hard, and fair. Read it when you are afraid.
Open guide →What is an affidavit?
Evidence, numbered paragraphs, attachments, witnessing—and what absolutely does not belong.
Open guide →Clean, confidential or compelled?
Sort every document by how it reached you. Four bins, four questions, one rule.
Open guide →File-naming conventions
A consistent pattern for dates, document types, parties and versions.
Open guide →The method
Six steps, in this order.
Pause. Check safety and urgency before deciding anything.
Extract deadlines, demands, allegations and questions.
Chronology, issue list, correspondence log, evidence register.
Check every fact, quote and citation against the source.
Build the next useful thing: a response, a brief, a checklist.
Take the proportionate step. Get qualified help where it matters.
Self Rep Ready · the book
Recognisable at 11 pm.
Funny in daylight.
A survival guide with The Devil’s Dictionary of Law at its centre. The paperback is coming. The free resources are here now.
So nobody loses just because the other side had a lawyer.
The method works in any Australian court or tribunal. Where a guide quotes a court's rules, it is labelled: Australia for method, Australia · check your court for shared concepts, NSW where the rule numbers are NSW's. Written by Ash Callaghan, who is not a lawyer. About this site.
- Leave the reader calmer, safer and better organised than we found them.
- Practical before theoretical: checklists, templates and worked fictional examples.
- Primary sources, jurisdiction labels, review dates, and no promises of outcomes.
- AI with human control. It organises and tests; it does not invent facts or law.
It is not a law firm and does not provide personal legal advice. Legal problems can involve urgent deadlines, safety risks and serious consequences. Use qualified legal assistance when your situation requires it. Where to get help · About this site