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It is a rather common finding that the technological dimension of judicial processes in our country is far behind form significant initiatives taken at international level for the introduction of e-Justice in managing court cases. We are in the age of the digitization of material, the electronic filing and the online inter connection between courts, while in other countries they are implementing pilot online schemes that do not require the physical presence of the parties to court proceedings and allow witnesses to testify through the web.
The evolution of technology convinces public justice systems more and more every day that the future of e-Justice is not far away. Public courts can become part of the ODR movement, incorporate its practices, gain significant benefits from the use of online tools and resolve effectively cases through confidential and safe procedures. The accumulated experience of all systems that were occasionally created, have contributed to a significant volume of knowledge that will make the next steps towards an era of electronic procedures in the administration of justice a lot safer and attractive.
The Federal Court of Australia already operates an online courtroom used by judges and registrars to examine a number of cases while at the same time one can see the equal weight they attach to the e-court by reading the e-Courtroom Protocol which provides that parties must behave as if they were in an actual courtroom. Another form of e-Justice is the Money Claim Online and the Possession Claim Online in the UK, litigating cases related to money and property claims respectively while a judge in Florida, USA, allowed witness testimony before the jury through Skype, saying that "he did not find any provision that forbade such a choice"
ODReurope has an active participation in the international debate for a new era in e-Justice. It contributes ideas and proposals on working documents discussed in international conferences and groups for the introduction of technology in this field, which will be presented to judges and ministers with the scope of promoting ODR in Justice.
The world of e-settlement is exciting. It generates however, some questions! This is what we in ODReurope are here for. To provide answers. CONTACT us and become part of this "smart" new world.