Digital courtroom launched in Abu Dhabi
DIGITISED PLATFORM WILL HANDLE CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL DISPUTES WITHOUT PAPERWORK
The world’s first digital courtroom was opened in Abu Dhabi yesterday, with the new system promising to bring more efficiency.
Launched by the Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts (ADGM Courts), the digital courtroom will have jurisdiction in civil and commercial cases. Plaintiffs and respondents will be able to use an online portal to upload all of their relevant documents related to their case, with all of the information being displayed on digital screens instead of paper during the court hearing. The uploaded documents will also be accessible to all parties at all times.
Parties can also be represented through video conferencing instead of having to be physically present in the court during a session.
“Technology and innovation have been disrupting every aspect of our lives and the judiciary sector is no exception. The best innovations to come out of this sector are those that allow us to creatively manage the growing demand for transparency, information, speed and effectiveness,” said Ahmad Al Sayegh, Minister of State and Chairman of the ADGM Courts.
Revolutionising the way court hearings are carried out, the world’s first state-ofthe-art digital courtroom was launched in Abu Dhabi yesterday with the new system set to save both plaintiffs and respondents time and money.
Launched by the Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts (ADGM Courts) — the independent courts of ADGM — the digital courtroom will have the authority to handle civil and commercial disputes. With its digitised platform, the courtroom will not use any paper as is traditionally done in court cases, and instead will use digital screens that will display all necessary documents.
Both plaintiffs and respondents will be able to upload all their documents through an online portal of ADGM Courts, with the information being accessible to all parties before and during the hearing.
“Technology and innovation have been disrupting every aspect of our lives and the judiciary sector is no exception. The best innovations to come out of this sector are those that allow us to creatively manage the growing demand for transparency, information, speed and effectiveness,” said Ahmad Al Sayegh, Minister of State and Chairman of the ADGM Courts.
Digital litigation
“Our mandate is to be a financial centre that supports international rules and regulations and builds a core ecosystem that allows businesses to flourish. We believe that the new digital courtroom will firmly position Abu Dhabi on the forefront of digital litigation, setting standards for countries around the world to follow,” he added, explaining how Abu Dhabi’s business environment will benefit.
“The presence of the digital courtroom will pave the way for many business opportunities, bringing an influx of new expertise and professionals, and will strengthen the overall economic growth of the UAE,” Al Sayegh said.
Linda Fitz Alan, registrar and chief executive of ADGM Courts said another benefit of the digital courtroom was that not all parties would be required to be physically present during a hearing. “We can do the court hearing by video conferencing, not every party has to be present in the courtroom. In fact, everybody can be on a screen if that’s the most efficient way.
“The judge overseeing the case will be the only person who has to be present in the digital courtroom during the hearing because we are a public court. For anyone else — the lawyer, plaintiff and respondent — if there’s no particular need for it, they can all be on screen in different places,” she added.
Commenting on the time frame from when a case is registered until it goes to court, Alan said it would range from two weeks to a month.
“We have some rules that determine the steps that need to be taken before coming to court, but essentially once a case is registered it will be brought to the court within 14 days to a month after which the judge will begin managing the case.”
Real time update
Alan also explained how all parties would be updated in real time about any new information connected to their case thanks to paperless forms of information exchanges.
“The moment something happens on the digital court file, parties receive an SMS and email letting them know immediately. So it does not matter where you are, you have immediate notice of something happening in a case.
“Traditionally parties needed to print documents and serve them on their opposing party, we are using this platform to achieve that service so you no longer need to spend any money on couriers or time to serve these documents. This portal works for you,” she added.