Following its approval of smartcards for European lawyers in January this year, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) has issued guidelines on the adoption and use of digital signatures, saying the establishment of a 'greater scheme' to help electronic communication is 'inevitable'.


The CCBE's proposed 'chip and PIN' style identity cards are designed to hold digital signatures, and it wants all countries to adopt them. The likes of Austria, Germany and Italy are already using digital signature systems for authentication and security in electronic document filing mechanisms with their courts, and Austria's model has been held up as a possible model to other nations at recent international conferences.



The European lawyers' group said in a statement that 'a greater scheme' for e-communication 'is inevitable' and advice on digital signatures will 'help lawyers interact safely and maintain their role as an independent part of the judicial system'.



When the smartcard guidelines were fixed in January, Arve Føøyen, chairman of the CCBE's information technology committee, told the Gazette that digital signatures on smartcards would push forward secure ID and authentication of e-filing to courts and public authorities, as well as other lawyers.



Scotland is surging ahead with smartcard and digital signature use, adopting the system for its new e-conveyancing system (see [2006] Gazette, 9 March, 5).



The move has a potential impact on the UK government's plans for electronic filing of court documents, planned for implementation sometime near 2010, and especially the burgeoning area of e-conveyancing.



The Law Society in England and Wales has yet to decide how or if it will back the move.



A spokeswoman said: 'We are evaluating the guidelines and assessing their relevance to the future plans of the Society.'



Rupert White