Subpoenas
A subpoena is a court order that requires a person or company officer to:
attend a hearing to give evidence or
produce documents or other items or
produce documents and attend a hearing.
In the Federal Circuit Court, the same form can be used for any of the above.
Where can I get a blank subpoena form?
You can get a blank subpoena form from the:
You should get
legal advice before preparing, filing and serving a subpoena.
What does a subpoena look like?
At the bottom of each subpoena on the first page there is a box with the details of:
the name and role of the party that filed the subpoena, for example, the applicant
who prepared it (if you prepared the subpoena, this will be you)
details of that party's lawyer (if they have one). You will need to fill out this box.
The second page will have the details of the order to attend and/or to produce documents, including the time, date and place the witness must attend court or produce the documents. There are three parts. You will use:
Part A if you want a witness to give evidence
Part B if you want the witness to give evidence and produce documents
Part C if you just want documents produced.
You can cross out the two parts you don't want to use, and fill in the details of the part you do want to use.
The third page will list the documents and items that need to be produced under the subpoena.
You need to be clear about which documents you want. If your request is too broad, the court might order that the subpoena doesn't have to be complied with.
Sample:
To see what a completed form looks like, see
Sample Subpoena to Produce.
What else should I include in the subpoena?
The blank subpoena form that you get from the Federal Circuit Court will also include extra pages containing:
You should make sure your subpoena includes these extra pages when you file and serve it. You can leave the Notice of Objection form blank.
What do I do with the subpoena?
After you have filled out the subpoena, you need to take the original and two copies to the Federal Circuit Court registry and file them. The court will keep the original subpoena and give you back the copies, sealed with the Federal Circuit Court’s stamp. You keep one of the copies and serve (give) the other copy on your employer.
If you can’t get to the court to file the subpoena, you can file it by post. You should contact the
Federal Circuit Court to find out where to send your documents.
You cannot file and serve more than five subpoenas unless the court gives you permission. If you think you will need more than five subpoenas you should tell the judge at a directions hearing.
How do I serve the subpoena?
If the subpoena requires a person to attend court and give evidence, it must be:
served by hand on the person, which means they should be given the subpoena or it can be put down in their presence if they refuse to accept it
served on the person at least seven days before the date the subpoena says they have to attend court (unless the court orders a different date).
If the subpoena only requires a person to produce documents, it:
When serving a subpoena, you should also give the person 'conduct money', which is enough money for them to travel from their place of residence to the court, or to produce documents. This amount should be at least $25.00 for a subpoena to attend. If you serve a subpoena to produce, the person or company being subpoenaed may ask for more.
You should get
legal advice if you are not sure how much conduct money you should pay.
What is a Notice of Objection?
A Notice of Objection can be filed by the person who is served with the subpoena if they object to it. For example, they do not have the documents you requested. Once a Notice of Objection is filed, the Federal Circuit Court will list the objection for hearing. If a person or company you subpoenaed has filed a Notice of Objection, you should get
legal advice.
When do I get to see the documents?
After the date listed in the subpoena for the production of documents has passed (and if there hasn’t been an objection), you should fill out and file a Notice of Request to Inspect.
You can get a blank form from the:
You should get
legal advice
if you need help filling out this form.
If you have also requested the attendance of a person at court, you cannot use this form. Instead you will need to attend court and ask the judge or registrar to allow you to inspect the
documents.
For more information about subpoenas, go the ‘Subpoena’ page on the
Federal Circuit Court website.