It is a legal requirement for individuals to give their name and address to police if police reasonably suspect that an offence has been committed. You are not obliged to answer any other questions. It is always advisable to be polite and courteous when dealing with the police. For drivers of a motor vehicle, police are entitled to ask for the name and address of a driver of a vehicle, the name and address of the owner of a motor vehicle along with what is being carried within the vehicle.

There are various steps you need to go through in order to adjourn a matter for another date.

1. You Must Appear
   – At the Courthouse
   – On the Date
   – At the Time stated on the Summons or Bail Agreement
2. Go to the lists at the front of the Courthouse and look for your name. You need to do this so as to establish which Courtroom you are in. If you can’t find your name go to the enquiries desk and they will help you.
3. At the Courtroom you will find an Orderly’s desk to one side. Go to the Orderly and have your named ticked off the list. Tell the Orderly that you will be asking for your matter to be adjourned. You can then seat yourself in the public area of the court.
4. When you are called, go stand in the dock. The Orderly will direct you if you are not sure where to stand.
5. Then say: “Your Honour, I ask that this matter be adjourned because:
   (a) I have consulted with a solicitor but they inform me they are unable to appear in Court until ….. (Give a date).”
   (b) I would like to see a solicitor but have not done so yet.”
   (c) I have applied for legal aid and my application is being processed.”
   (d) Or give any legitimate and truthful reason.”
6. If this is your first appearance, the Magistrate will usally grant an adjournment. The Magistrate wiil give you another date and time. If this date and time is not convenient, explain why.
7. When a date and time convenient to both you and your solicitor is obtained, thank the Magistrate. The Orderly will write down the date and time on a slip of paper and give it to you.
8. Sometimes, depending on the charge, the Court may require you to enter into a simple bail agreement. This means you will have to wait in Court for bail papers to be typed up. When you sign the bail papers you are agreeing to attend Court on All of the dates written until the matter is finalised.
9. You may now leave the Courtroom.

If you are suffering from financial hardship or are receiving some form of benefit payments, always remember that legal aid is available to you. McGrath Lawyers accept legal aid clients. Furthermore, McGrath Lawyers offer a free, no obligation, first interview, where you can discuss what fees, if any, our firm will charge for our services.

Everyone has the right to apply for legal aid. Please be aware however that a means test is applied to all applications and you may have that aid refused. Under normal circumstances if you have a regular job and own your home it would be very unlikely that aid would be granted. If aid is refused it would then be up to the individual to engage private counsel.