New courts, new systems

01 December 2004

Legal courts have always been a key element of the civil justice system.  Until recently, however, their processing systems were largely manual, and the image of seeing a lawyer or articled clerk sitting in the court registry waiting to file documents was the norm. The manual processes have done themselves little justice for improving or streamlining judicial case processing speed.

The courts’ IT systems have typically lagged behind other industry technology reforms.   This is largely due to differences in systems across jurisdictions and working practices, and the inability to share information electronically with other courts.

In 2003 the County Court of Victoria decided it was time to move from a manual to an electronic system, where practitioners could file documentation relating to civil matters directly from their desktop, eliminating the need to visit the court.

The Court commissioned CITEC to develop one of the most advanced electronic filing systems in the country, in collaboration with IBM, the County Court of Victoria and legal professionals.

CITEC devised a system which enables legal practitioners to electronically file and process court documents relating to civil cases covered by the County Court of Victoria, through its online information brokerage product, CITEC Confirm.

CITEC already provides the technology behind the Queensland and Victorian Magistrates eFiling services, and is planning to expand into other state jurisdictions.

With an automated system, CITEC has assisted in revolutionising the country’s case processing, resulting in greater system efficiency, more automation, better case management, improved office management and resource allocation.

Since eFiling was officially launched 37 companies have adopted the system. By October this year, the uptake of eFiling had doubled, representing 8.4% of all County Court of Victoria filings.

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