Change in practice for document filing in the High Court - civil cases
The Ministry of Justice is rolling out a document management system. While this system does not currently replace the need to file documents in hard copy, and the High Court Rules still require documents to be filed in hard copy, it is a step towards the introduction of an integrated case management system in the High Court.
The Chief High Court Judge asks counsel to provide the registry with electronic copies of documents filed in hard copy for all civil matters except probates. Many counsel already do this and it would be very helpful if it became normal practice across the profession.
The documents should either be sent to the appropriate High Court registry email address or directly to the case officer, as appropriate.
There are two exceptions to the request to file electronic copies as well as hard copy:
- Large files (+l00MB). These cannot be stored electronically and counsel should continue to file these in hard copy only.
- Probate applications and related documents as these will not be stored electronically.
Finally, electronic casebooks must be filed using a USB drive as set out in [9.1(a)] of the Senior Courts Civil Electronic Document Protocol 2019.
The Chief High Court Judge encourages counsel to immediately adopt the practice of filing an electronic copy as well as filing the hard copy.
