Electric cars. Smart thermostats. Voice controlled homes. It seems that technology is making every aspect of our lives easier. Now it looks that technology could come to the rescue in the area of legal advice too, with online courts.
What are online courts?
The official new proposals by Lord Justice Briggs outline concepts for an online, lawyer-free court that could handle claims of up to £25,000. Here is what Lord Justice Briggs as said about them:
“There is a clear and pressing need to create an Online Court for claims up to £25,000 designed for the first time to give litigants effective access to justice without having to incur the disproportionate cost of using lawyers. There will be three stages: Stage 1 – a largely automated, interactive online process for the identification of the issues and the provision of documentary evidence. Stage 2 – conciliation and case management by case officers. Stage 3 – resolution by judges. The court will use documents on-screen, telephone, and video meetings to meet the needs of each case.”
Where would online courts apply?
A lot of human rights and unlawful detention claims would fall within the proposed limits of £25,000 and the online court would have its own set of procedure rules. The proposals are at an early stage but there seems to be a lot of merit behind it, especially with the decrease to legal aid. There are also proposals for relieving the pressure on the Court of Appeal and merging Employment Tribunals jurisdiction into the civil court structure.
In the meantime, while you’re waiting for robot lawyers, if you need legal advice then call our expert solicitors today to tell us what you need. We’re on hand seven days a week and pride ourselves on our absolute service. Call us in Brighton or London today.
