Queensland CaseLaw (QCL) is a digital repository managed by the Supreme Court Library Queensland for the facilitation of access to legal judgments and decisions from Queensland courts and tribunals. While QCL is primarily designed for legal research, it can also be an invaluable resource for finding information about individuals that have been involved with the Australian legal system. Learn how you can use Queensland CaseLaw to locate and learn about people, such as litigants, witnesses, or lawyers, in a legal context.

Why Use Queensland CaseLaw?

Queensland CaseLaw provides access to published decisions from various courts and tribunals throughout Queensland, including the Supreme Court, District Courts, Magistrates Courts, and other tribunals. These records may include the names of litigants, legal practitioners, expert witnesses, and other individuals involved in court proceedings.

How to Find People Using Queensland CaseLaw

Getting Started

Begin your search by visiting Queensland CaseLaw’s website. The interface is user-friendly, ensuring anyone can easily search for judgments and decisions using keywords or filters.

Search by Name

The most straightforward approach is to search for a person’s name. Use the search bar at the top of the page, entering the individual’s full name in quotation marks to look for exact matches. For instance:

• If you’re searching for “John Smith”, inputting the name in quotation marks ensures the platform pulls only those cases mentioning that specific name.
• If the individual was involved in a court case, their name may appear in the body of a judgment or as part of the case title, such as “Smith v Jones.”

Use Filters to Narrow Your Search

To refine your search further, QCL provides filtering options that allow users to specify:

• Court or Tribunal: Select from a variety of courts, such as the Supreme Court or Magistrates Court.
• Date Range: Narrow the search to a specific time frame when the case may have occurred.
• Case Type: Focus on criminal, civil, or tribunal cases, depending on the likely nature of the individual’s involvement.

Explore the Search Results

Once you’ve entered your search terms and applied filters, you’ll be presented with a list of relevant case records. Click on any result to view its full text. These records often include:

• Names of parties involved.
• Lawyers and law firms representing the parties.
• Witness names and roles.

It’s important to note that QCL will not provide contact details or personal information about individuals beyond what is mentioned in the publicly available court documents. Additionally, cases involving juveniles or sensitive parties may be deliberately anonymised to protect identities.