Background

EFS is a joint project between the judiciary, CrimsonLogic and the Singapore Academy of Law.

EFS played a crucial role in realising Singapore Judiciary’s vision of a paperless litigation system. However, there were certain drawbacks in using EFS:

• Many law firms had to reserve computers solely for EFS
• Software and hardware needed constant upgrading
• Duplicated work for law firms – created Courts’ forms in Word, re-entered the data into EFS and scanned the Word documents into PDF
• Limited access to case documents

Since then, technology had evolved and there is a need to keep the system relevant to meet the increasingly sophisticated use of technology in the Courts. The Singapore Judiciary took the next step to harness new technology by engaging CrimsonLogic to extend the capabilities of EFS with the implementation of eLitigation.

Solution

eLitigation is a web-based platform that leverages on content management system and dynamic electronic form (e-form) technology. It offers law firms and Court users a single access point to start, and actively manage case files throughout the litigation process.

Unlike EFS, eLitigation eliminates the need for smart cards/card readers and software installation on local computers by using SingPass (an online account management to access Singapore Government e-services) for online access.

Front-end users only need to input information directly into e-forms once, and this same set of information is used to auto-populate other Court documents.

eLitigation also provides functionalities and related services that streamlines the litigation process, thereby helping to improve efficiency and enhance access to justice. Law firms enjoy full access to all documents in a case as long as it remains active. The Courts calendaring process can also be managed and streamlined to allow Court officers to better schedule current calendars. Hearing information such as outcomes can be captured and tracked for the generation of statistical reports.

The transition to eLitigation required a structured and comprehensive change management programme to train users who had been accustomed to using EFS for more than thirteen years. With the introduction of e-form technology and content management system, some of the functional roles had to be altered to enable efficient use of the system.

A series of awareness seminars, e-guides and modular training was launched to ensure seamless adoption of the eLitigation system, including ready access to support via Crimsonlogic’s 24/7 helpdesk and Service Bureaux.

Dedicated resources were deployed to the post launch support channels to address difficulties arising from the shift to the new system.

Benefits

The implementation of eLitigation has resulted in 100% clearance rate for all civil and criminal cases in the Supreme Court. In 2014, the Supreme Court of Singapore received 14,396 new civil and criminal cases and a total of 14,355 of them were disposed in the same period³.

Law firms

• The use of SingPass enables mobility as no smartcard readers are required.
• Every document is digitally signed and qualifies as a secure electronic record under the Electronic Transactions Act.
• Easy to use features help users to learn and remember the steps needed to complete the e-filing process. Specific data field and form validation reduces errors from data entries and provides user guidance. All these translate to a shorter learning cycle and less time spent on e-filing.
• Law firms can e-file anywhere, anytime and receive notification of case status via SMS and/or email. The filing fees are automatically calculated and payment can be made instantly via ePayment.
• Documents such as Court notices and letters can be automatically generated, saving time and minimising errors.
• Access to case file is allowed as long as a case is active. Lawyers can also save the whole case file as a PDF document using the “Pack-N-Go” function for offline reading.
• Law firms and Courts can simultaneously access up-to- date case information via a centralised depository of information.