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In the press: Digitising the courtroom and the impact on law firms

January 7th, 2016

Andrea Beech asks how digitising the courtroom could affect law firms.

the impact of digitising the court rooms

In the Autumn Statement last month, an increased focus on digital and technology was a common thread across all departments, from a £450m investment for the Government Digital Service to a £1bn investment in a 4G communications network for the emergency services.

As part of this huge planned £1.8bn investment in digital, over £700 million has been allocated to fully digitise the justice system in the UK. This removes the need for the current paper-based system and will ultimately generate taxpayer savings of approximately £200m a year from 2020. This will be due to the reduction in basic costs.

It is said digitising the justice system will remove the requirement for over 500,000 pre-trial hearings in the criminal courts. It will also significantly reduce court hearing times and the amount of time spent on basic administrative functions. All of these results would have a positive effect on law firms operating in the UK.

The positives of digitising the courtroom

One of the most obvious benefits here is the reduction in costs. This would be for both the taxpayer and the law firms themselves.

Read the article in full on Computers & Law