Blog

Thu, 1 Apr 2010

New Electronic Working Scheme

As a sign of the English Courts' continued commitment to modernisation and efficiency a new Electronic Working Scheme comes into operation on 1 April 2010. This follows a successful pilot of the scheme which has been running since 1 April 2009.

The Scheme is set out in detail in Practice Direction 5C to the Civil Procedure Rules. It enables proceedings (involving the Admiralty, Commercial, London Mercantile and Technology & Construction jurisdictions) to be presented and issued by the court in electronic format. All subsequent steps can also to be undertaken electronically.

One of the main advantages, apart from the positive environmental impact, will be flexibility as the Scheme will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year enabling court proceedings to be issued and other documents filed outside of traditional court office opening hours.

The Electronic Working Scheme will still require certain documents (such as interlocutory application bundles; allocation questionnaires; case management bundles and trial bundles) to be filed as paper copies as well as electronically.

Another significant development is that if court rules require a particular document to be signed by a person, the Scheme will accept that person's typed name in place of a handwritten signature.

The Scheme does not apply to service of proceedings or service of documents and the normal service rules will apply unless the parties have agreed to accept service by email or other electronic means.

At Myton Law we have invested in modern equipment and communication systems that enable us to maximise efficiencies and give us greater working flexibility. It is encouraging that the English Courts also recognise the importance of utilising modern technologies and this development will help us to provide our clients with a quicker and more efficient service where litigation, covered by the Scheme, is necessary.

For more information about the relevant Practice Direction, please contact Scott Yates.

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