Preston pilot slashes case times

The average completion times for civil cases dropped from 21 days to five at Preston Combined Court thanks to a pilot scheme which enables solicitors to issue court applications by e-mail.Under the scheme, which ran for six months last year (see [2001] Gazette, 11 January, 22), solicitors issued certain applications in civil, family and insolvency cases by e-mail, and judges where possible resolved the issues without resorting to a court hearing.According to a report by the National Audit Office, Better public services through e-government, the Preston pilot 'highlighted the substantial improvements in turnaround times of individual cases'.County Court judges have also stated that they prefer to work via e-mail 'as it is easier, quicker and reduces the circulation of paperwork through the court'.Another pilot project at Kingston Crown Court, which uses technology to improve the administration of cases, has 'demonstrated the underlying infrastructure needs for new technology in courtroom environments'.However, the scheme, which involved placing electronic information screens outside each courtroom and providing digital audio recordings of case proceedings, had also 'shown the need for departments to be clear in specifying what equipment is required for their purposes'.The success of the Preston pilot comes despite the apparent lack of enthusiasm for the project among local solicitors (see [2001] Gazette, 3 May, 21).

Only 33 solicitors applied to take part in the scheme in the first four months of its operation.The newly elected president of the Association of District Judges, George Harrison, this week urged solicitors to take a more active role in pilot schemes aimed at modernising the court systems.'These schemes were just a taste of what is to come in the next few years towards the objective of paperless courtrooms and back offices,' he said.'I plead with solicitors to do all they can to make future pilots meaningful - they must not repeat the Woolf civil justice reforms experience and put forward ideas and protests only after major reforms have been implemented.'See comment, page 16Victoria MacCallum