“Lodging and managing civil claims will be easier, more efficient and faster under the new NSW online courts registry," Attorney General Greg Smith said after announcing that the system will now be open to the public after a successful 12 month trial.
The NSW Online Registry will be available to anybody involved in a civil case in the Local, District of Supreme Court, including their legal representatives. It is expected that the system will save time for lawyers and self-represented litigants, who are now able to file 42 commonly used civil forms; including subpoenas and affidavits, online in minutes without having to queue at a court registry.
The Registry also allows court users to easily track the progress of their case, see which documents have been filed, and view court orders.
The introduction of the new system reflects the changing nature of court administration. Since January 2013, over 44,000 civil court forms have been filed online, representing approximately 11 per cent of the total number of civil forms. It is expected that this figure could rise significantly over the coming months.
To date, more than 7500 users have registered to use the Online Registry. Users undergo strict identity verification and will be able to access information only about their own cases.