Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is a court of unlimited civil jurisdiction and it also handles the most serious criminal matters.

What does this court do?

The court is a court of appeal, and a court of criminal appeal. It has a common law division which deals with criminal and administrative law matters. It also has a equity division which deals with probate/deceased estate matters, commercial matters, admiralty matters and protective matters.

In a Civil Law matter the court hears most claims over $750,000, this includes commercial disputes, probate, judicial review and administrative decisions.

In Criminal Law matters the judges preside over the most serious criminal offences, such as murder and manslaughter, attempted murder, major conspiracy and drug related charges and Commonwealth prosecutions for more serious breaches of the Corporations Law.

The Court of Appeal is also the highest civil court in the state hearing appeals from the Supreme Court, the District Court, the Land and Environment Court and some tribunals.

Who can appear?

Generally speaking a leave to appear will be given to a question of law and not fact.

Specifically though, in the Court of Criminal Appeal a person who has been convicted or who pleaded guilty and has been sentenced by a Supreme Court or District Court judge may appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal.

To be able to appeal there generally needs to be a question of law, however a mixture of fact and law can be granted leave.

Court Location

In Sydney the court is located on Levels 4 and 5 of the Law Courts Building at 184 Phillip Street, Sydney. In regional registries there are five locations, Orange, Newcastle, Lismore, Wagga Wagga and Wollongong.

Our dedicated team can assist you with any queries relating to matters involving the Supreme Court. Complete and submit the Express Enquiry form on the top right hand side of this page and we will contact you to discuss your enquiry, or call us on 1300 QUINNS (1300 784 667) or on +61 2 9223 9166 to arrange an appointment.