In anticipation of electronic filing becoming compulsory in the Chancery Division in 2015, important interim measures and changes have been introduced which will take effect from 1 October 2014.
All court documents to be filed in the Chancery Division from 1 October 2014 shall be allocated a new case number for the purposes of electronic filing. This will include new claims and existing claims. All documents filed shall then be scanned into an electronic file for each claim. This measure will last for approximately 6 months until direct electronic filing shall become available to the public.
In relation to witness statement exhibits, for Part 7 claims a direction of the court will be needed for those that are more than 30 pages long. For Part 8 claims, witness statement exhibits that exceed 100 pages will also require a court direction.
There have also been changes regarding court bundles. It will become mandatory from 1 October 2014 for all hearings, no matter how short, to have bundles that have been filed at least 2 days before the hearing. If a bundle is not filed within the requisite time period then the hearing shall be adjourned.
These changes come hot-on-the-heels of the government announcement last week that from 1 October 2014, parties given permission to appeal to the Supreme Court or Privy Council will need to file court bundles electronically. This is a pilot scheme that will also run until 2015 when the system will be made permanent (depending on the outcome of the pilot). These changes certainly herald a concerted effort by the courts to move into a paperless reality. Whether this will work in practice, and trainees and paralegals will be free of painstaking bundling, is yet to be seen. It certainly would have been most welcomed during my legal training contract!
For more information on the changes please see: http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications/practice-note-chancery-chambers-changes-1st-october-2014/
