Notice of acting - appointment of lawyer (Form 4)
Form 4 is the Federal Court of Australia notice a lawyer files when a party who started the proceeding unrepresented later appoints a lawyer. It also gives the new address for service.
Word document from Federal Court of Australia's website.
DraftOur fillable copy of this form has not been through editorial review yet. Check it against Federal Court of Australia's current form before you rely on it.
- Format
- Word (DOCX)
- Category
- Court form
- Form number
- Form 4
- Version
- vb8783ba6
- Last updated
- 14 October 2026
Federal Court of Australia · Federal Court Rules 2011
For law practices: this form maps to the published matter-field vocabulary, so your practice management system fills it from your matter data - on your own machine. Practice management systems can fetch and assemble it through the document assembly API.
What Form 4 is for
Under rule 4.01 of the Federal Court Rules 2011 a person may be represented by a lawyer or act in person (a corporation must have a lawyer). Rule 4.03 says that if a party is unrepresented when a proceeding starts and later appoints a lawyer, the lawyer must file a notice of acting in accordance with Form 4. Because the Dictionary defines file as file and serve, the notice is also served on the other parties. Once a party has a lawyer with general authority to act, the party's address for service must be the lawyer's address (r 11.01(2)).
When you need it
- You are a lawyer newly retained by a party who has been acting in person in a Federal Court proceeding.
- Not for a change from one lawyer to another: that is Form 5 (r 4.04(1)).
- Not where the party simply wants to change its own address for service: that is Form 28 (r 11.09).
How to fill it in
- 1
Heading
Copy the file number, District Registry, Division and party names from the proceeding.
- 2
Party and lawyer
Insert the party's name and role, the lawyer's name and the firm appointed to represent the party.
- 3
Address for service
Give a place within Australia where documents can be left and posted during business hours, plus an email address (r 11.01). It must be the lawyer's address (r 11.01(2)). By giving the lawyer's email, the party agrees to documents being received there (r 11.01(4)).
- 4
Date and sign
The lawyer signs as Lawyer for the party.
Filing, lodging and service
- File the notice in the Registry where the proceeding is running, usually through eLodgment by entering the existing file number.
- Serve it on each other party; under the Rules' Dictionary, file means file and serve (note to r 4.03).
- Check the current fee schedule; the Court publishes its fees online.
Common mistakes
- Use the full firm name and a monitored email address, because documents in the proceeding will now be served there.
- A corporation must not proceed other than by a lawyer (r 4.01(2)), and its notice of address for service must be filed by a lawyer (r 11.02).
- If the retainer later ends, the termination rules in rules 4.04 and 4.05 apply (Forms 5 to 8).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Form 4 and Form 5 in the Federal Court?
Form 4 is used when an unrepresented party appoints a lawyer for the first time (r 4.03). Form 5 is used when a party changes lawyers and the new lawyer comes on the record (r 4.04(1)).
Does a notice of acting have to be served?
Yes. Rule 4.03 requires it to be filed, and the Dictionary defines file as file and serve.
Checked against the official sources on 26 October 2026
- Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) rr 4.01-4.05, 11.01, 11.02
- Federal Court of Australia - eLodgment
- Federal Court of Australia - Court fees
- Federal Court of Australia - Form 4 Notice of acting - appointment of lawyer
General information about the form, not legal advice about your matter. Rules and forms change: if anything here differs from the court or agency's current instructions, theirs apply.
Field map
9 boxes on the Notice of acting - appointment of lawyer (Form 4) fill from your matter. 4 are for you to complete: ticks, signatures and anything that needs judgement.
- Our Firm
- Firm email, Firm name
- Client
- Client full name(s), Client state
- Key Dates
- Current date
- Operator
- User First Name, User Full Name (first + surname)
Matter plans that use this form
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