Canada Courts Administration Service Teams With LexisNexis For Electronic Filing Project

Last week, R.P. Guenette, Acting Chief Administrator of the Canada Courts Administration Service, announced the launching of an electronic filing project which will allow lawyers to file documents electronically in intellectual property proceedings before the Federal Court.

With this project, lawyers will be able to file documents electronically and also access all documents that have been filed electronically in their own cases. In order to participate in the project, lawyers must first register with the company LexisNexis Canada (provider of LexisNexis Quicklaw), which has been approved by the Courts Administration Service as an e-filing service provider.

Registration information is available through their web site: www.lexisnexis.ca/efiling

Other Canadian courts and tribunals have already begun the process of supplementing, or even replacing, their paper-based filing system with an electronic filing system.

Mr. Guenette notes: "The e-filing pilot project is one of numerous steps that the Courts Administration Service is currently taking to help the
organization become more efficient in the delivery of services to the public."

The Honourable Chief Justice Allan Lutfy adds: "This project will provide a modern, cost-effective method for litigants to file and access their Court documents, whether they are in Canada or abroad."

Although the project initially will be restricted to the filing of documents in intellectual property proceedings in the Federal Court, the Court intends to offer this option for all files in the near future.