Attorney General: More efficient administration of justice coming

Expect the wheels of a modern judicial system to begin to run more smoothly and effectively soon, Attorney General Dale Marshall declared today as Government moved to bring the administration of the civil justice system into the realm of cyberspace.

He sought to give the assurance as Parliament resumed at its temporary location at the Worthing Corporate Centre with debate on the Stamp Duty Amendment Bill and the Registration of Judgements Act.

Marshall said the two pieces of legislation made provision for some legal procedures to be done online, thereby creating a greater level of efficiency in the system.

“In our modern era, in other jurisdictions documents are filed electronically,” the AG said. “There is absolutely no reason why in our own jurisdiction we should be reluctant to embrace the concept of electronic filing.”

The amendment to the Stamp Duty Act provides for stamps to be affixed to documents electronically, while the amendment to the Registration of Judgements Act provides for the electronic registration of High Court judgements.

Marshall said changes to the stamp duty process would result in a more cost effective and speedy process for the judiciary.

He told fellow lawmakers: “The other element is the registration of judgements. When a person gets a judgement you complete a form and you file it. You pay the filing fee and get a judgement registered. It is a paper-based process that doesn’t really facilitate searching to see if judgements are registered against you. And this too, we can do more effectively.

“This amendment to the Registration of Judgements Act will allow the Registrar of the Supreme Court to maintain an electronic register of judgements. So we are trying to bring the administration of justice, and at the same time the practice of law into a modern era.”

While recalling that Government had begun the process of modernizing the judicial system since coming to office two years ago, Marshall stressed that the work being done would not be the automatic end to delays in the courts.

Said Marshall: “I reiterate that they are not the solution to the delays in the administration of justice, but we will certainly go a long way towards helping to make the system more efficient.

“While these amendments will not solve those problems, they will certainly allow for even the judges to work more effectively.”

Pointing out that for the current financial year Government had already issued most judges with new “very powerful” laptops, Marshall said “we now just have to put those last few things in place so that the delivery of justice can be brought into a modern era”.

Adding that the technology was only “one side of things”, Marshall pointed to the appointment of judges over the past year, saying a lot of work had been done to transform the practice of the administration of justice.

He said: “These things now have to be given an opportunity to yield fruit, but we can fail if we don’t grasp the opportunity to do those small things.

“The system for e-filing was paid for in the last financial year and we are now just completing the legislative things that will allow it to work.”

Marshall promised that when fully operational, in addition to the filing of affidavits in court cases, the online system would allow for the filing of applications for letters of administration, applications for letters testamentary and other documents requiring the registrar’s intervention.

“I am confident that over time we will see a system that is working more efficiently and at this point, a system that is safer for all of us as we carry out our day to day activity,” the Attorney General told the House. marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb