Michael Rees JP (Qual), and Kay McInnes JP (Qual)
Edition 2, 2018
This guide forms a structured reference for mentoring those with recent JP (Qual) credentials who wish to gather more information to assist them at the beginning of their volunteer work as a JP. Those JPs wishing to refresh their current skills may also find this guide useful. Mentees may find this an ongoing useful reference about the types of documents and how to witness them.
All the examples, hints and suggestions contained in this guide are informed by the day-to-day experience of the authors and their fellow JPs working in signing sites within the JPs in the Community Program. Information in this guide carries no formal authority but is taken from identified official sources.
For definitive information JPs should always consult the official publications from the JP Branch of the Department of Justice and Attorney-General (JP Branch).
This guide refers to:
the official handbook for The Duties of Justices of the Peace (Qualified) June 2017 issued by the JP Branch, the JP Handbook for short
the Technical Bulletins released by JP Branch from time to time
the JP Bulletins issued by JP Branch several times each year
Guide to JP Practice in Queensland Version 4 published by the Queensland Justices Association (QJA) - only QJA members may access the link to this online version
QJA Journal - official magazine of the QJA
Each chapter of JP in Practice concentrates on one type of document or process and shows a:
summary of the document and/or process features.
list of practical tips born out of experience of the authors and other JPs.
list of key references.
Throughout this guide the abbreviation "JP" is used to include both Justice of the Peace (Qualified) and Commissioner for Declarations for document types they are both able to witness.
Direct others to this resource with the simple link: bit.ly/jpinpractice
This guide is published under Creative Commons with the CC BY 4.0 license which allows anyone to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. A suggested attribution is:
Michael Rees and Kay McInnes, Justice of the Peace in Practice, 2018, http://bit.ly/jpinpractice.
Michael Rees and Kay McInnes
Gold Coast
September 2018