Virtual registry open anytime anywhere
Issued: 11 February 2014
[PDF, 112kb]
Lodging and managing civil claims will be
easier, more efficient and faster under the new NSW online courts registry,
Attorney General Greg Smith said today.
“The Online Registry has been successfully
trialled by selected users over the past year, but will now be open to the
public – that is anyone involved in a civil case in the Local, District of
Supreme Court, or their legal representatives,” Mr Smith said.
“It will save time for lawyers and companies
such as debt collecting firms, as well as self-represented litigants, who can
file 42 commonly used civil forms online in minutes without having to queue at
a court registry.”
“Lawyers, paralegals and others involved in
court proceedings no longer have to structure their day around the court’s
working hours,” Mr Smith said.
“Instead, they can file the necessary documents
at any time, from wherever they have internet access.”
Already, more than 7500 users have registered to
use the Online Registry to date. Users undergo strict identity verification and
will be able to access information only about their own cases.
Reflecting the changing nature of court
administration, more than 44,000 civil court forms and probate notices have
been filed online since January 2013. This means online filing accounted for
about 11 per cent of the relevant forms. Last week about 1,000 forms were filed
online, a figure set to rise steadily.
The most popular forms include statements of
claim, subpoenas, affidavit of service, notices of motion relating to debt
collection, as well as administrative forms such as requests for a copy of a
court order, or notices of change of solicitor.
More civil forms are expected to become
available to be lodged online in coming months.
The Online Registry is also available for the
public to search court lists across NSW and publish and search NSW probate
notices.
Mr Smith said court users could now easily track
the progress of their case, see which documents have been filed, and view court
orders.
“The Online Registry makes dealing with the
courts easier and more efficient, and improves access to justice across NSW,”
Mr Smith said.
Litigants, legal representatives and people
acting on behalf of companies involved in civil suits, can use the Online
Registry to:
File over 40 forms for civil cases
Receive court-sealed documents by email
Request copies of judgments and orders
Check which documents have been filed for a
case
Publish and search NSW probate notices
(mandatory advertisements relating to wills and deceased estates)
Check lists of subpoenaed documents and things
(items brought to court to be considered as evidence)
Pay court filing fees by credit card.
For more information visit
www.onlineregistry.lawlink.nsw.gov.au