Implementation of an E-Litigation Portal for Courts in the Eastern Caribbean
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Media Release
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) through the Office of the Chief Justice is implementing an E-Litigation web portal within all Courts in all the OECS Member States & Territories, for the electronic management of cases filed within the jurisdiction of the ECSC. This new system replaces the Judicial Enforcement Management System (JEMS) which has currently been in use within all the Courts of the OECS Member States and Territories since the year 2000.
This E-Litigation solution is a highly proven web-based application software developed by CrimsonLogic Ltd, headquartered in Singapore with a branch established in Trinidad and Tobago. The Online solution utilizes CrimsonLogic’s eJudiciary Accelerator (CLA) product. Implementation, in the first instance, will be done in the following Member States and Territories: Saint Lucia, Territory of the Virgin Islands and Anguilla during the next nine months. However, full implementation of the e-Litigation solution, in all the remaining Member States of the Eastern Caribbean, is expected by the end of 2018.
The E-Litigation solution is a web-based/online application that will provide Court users and Stakeholders with access to assigned services anytime, anywhere and on any device including smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops. The Proposed E-Litigation solution will include the following components/modules and features: (i) Judges’ Portal, (ii) Attorney access, (iii) Electronic Filing, (iv) Electronic Notification, (v) Electronic Payments, (vi) Electronic Docket (Cause List) preparation, (vii) Functionality to resolve Attorney scheduling conflicts (vii) Electronic Case Management, (viii) Workflow and Rules Management, (ix) Creation of Trial Bundles, and (x) a Reporting and Analytics Module.
The E-Litigation web portal will serve as the platform to increase operational efficiency in the Courts of the sub-region, directly resulting in a reduction of operational costs while improving efficiency. Importantly, the E-Judiciary solution will also contribute towards increasing the transparency of court services allowing the ECSC to improve access of its services to stakeholders on a macro level.
As part of the activities leading to the full implementation of the E-Litigation solution there will be extensive consultations with all stakeholders in the different Member States and Territories which will include all the judges, magistrates, court staff, members of the Bar, Directors of Public Prosecutions, and Directors of Prisons to name a few. The E-Litigation platform will be demonstrated on Saturday, 16th September, 2017 at the upcoming OECS Law Conference in the Commonwealth of Dominica under the Topic “E-Justice In the OECS - The Paperless Court: The look inside and out.”
The ECSC is very excited about this development and looks forward to the implementation of the new solution to improve the delivery of justice to the citizens of the region and significantly reduce the costs associated with the operations of the Courts both at the ECSC appellate and original jurisdictions. Once implemented the software solution will completely revolutionize the ECSC filing, case management and court processes thereby allowing the ECSC to achieve its mission and vision much more effectively.
The e-litigation system by CrimsonLogic has been specifically designed and retrofitted to cater to the litigation needs of the stakeholders of the ECSC in the OECS sub-region. Legal Practitioners across the ECSC Jurisdiction are asked to note that the E- Litigation platform being implemented by the ECSC is not the same as the CURIA product being marketed by the CCJ.
The new solution being implemented by the ECSC will bring the Court closer towards achieving its mission and vision for the improvement of justice for the citizens of the OECS Member States and Territories.
The ECSC was established in 1967 by the West Indies Associated States Supreme Court Order No. 223 of 1967. The ECSC is a superior court of record for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), where it has unlimited jurisdiction, made up of the six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; and the three British Overseas Territories: Anguilla, the Territory of the Virgin Islands, and Montserrat.
Progress reports on the implementation of the new technology solution for the Justice System of the Eastern Caribbean will be provided on the ECSC website - https://www.eccourts.org.
