Court breaks new ground with WeChat

A court in Beijing has opened a WeChat account to allow litigants to chat with judges, get status updates on their cases and report rulebreakers.

The Haidian District People’s Court started the service early this month to provide convenience in lawsuits and improve work efficiency.

It is the first court in the capital to use WeChat to provide legal services, and a fresh step for Chinese judicial authorities who are pushing the courts to become more tech-friendly.

“Litigants and lawyers can connect their mobile phones with our platform after providing their identity on WeChat. When they want to know what cases will be heard or what part of the legal procedure the cases are in, they can just open their WeChat to search,” said Mao Jinke, director of the court’s enforcement office.

He said the platform was Resident surnamed Zhang in Jinta, Gansu province Shanghai’s Pudong New Area can initiate a lawsuit in only 15 minutes by scanning a QR code, according to a work report delivered by Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People’s Court, in March.

In Gansu province, courts have been set up to hear cases via live video. So far, 423 courts in the western province can hear cases with remote litigants, and all verdicts can be searched and downloaded online, the province’s official website reported.

“Once I’ve swiped my identity card in court, information about how to appeal, who takes charge of my case and which stage of the process my case is in will clearly appear on a screen. I don’t need to run back and forth to the court,” said a resident surnamed Zhang in the province’s Jinta county.

Zhou of the top court ordered courts at every level in July to make full use of big data and continue to make access to courts easier for litigants.

Information about how to appeal ... will clearly appear on a screen. I don’t need to run back and forth to the court.”