INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR SUBORDINATE COURTS WEBSITE



Link to Subordinate Courts website: http://www.subcourts.gov.sg

The Singapore Subordinate Courts (SubCourts) website has received an award for its comprehensive self-help counters, numerous online services, and easy accessibility for the public.

The website is the only international contender, among 900 other international court websites, to be conferred the Top 10 Court Website Award in 2003. The other nine winners are state courts and justice-related organizations based in the United States.

The award was conferred by Justice Served^TM, an alliance of court management and justice experts who provide management services, consultation, and training to courts, justice agencies and partners in technology. Justice Served^TM is based in California, USA.

Stringent Selection Criteria
Three broad categories were used to determine the Top 10 Court Websites:
1. Court Functionality - e-services that reduce physical court appearances and a good self-help centre.

2. Web Functionality - user-friendliness in search and navigation capabilities, extensiveness of related links, and aesthetic appeal.

3. Extras - attention given to public feedback and the websites' communication management.

Highlights of Subordinate Courts' website

Court functions simplified with e-services and self-help centre
The deployment of web-related solutions in e-services has leveraged technologies to provide alternatives to physical court appearances. The three exemplary e-services in the SubCourts website are:

(i) Electronic Filing System (EFS)
The EFS is an online system that encapsulates the civil litigation process in Singapore. It provides an online facility for lawyers to file legal documents electronically from their firms to the Courts. It also tightly integrates the court workflow, which covers the collection of stamp fees for different types of legal documents filed, the acceptance of filed documents, and the preparation of court documents for case hearings. The system also facilitates online reference to case material by lawyers and judges during court hearings.

(ii) eAlternative Dispute Resolution (e@dr)
e@dr is the Subordinate Courts' initiative for parties in an e-commerce transaction to resolve disputes on the Internet. With the consent of both the complainant and the respondent to resolve the dispute using this electronic platform, the moderator will manage the communication in a timely and effective manner with both parties through email. Users can choose to resolve their ecommerce disputes in the comforts of the home in a non-confrontational environment.

(iii) JusticeOnLine
JusticeOnLine is an innovative web-based video-conferencing system that enables judges to conduct virtual hearings from the Subordinate Courts with lawyers at their office and/or public prosecutors located at the Attorney-General's Chambers.

In addition, the Self-Help Centre is a convenient online resource. Information such as pre-trial preparation to court decorum is clearly spelled out for users who wish to conduct a criminal case themselves.

User-friendly website for the general public
Well-defined links to 16 external related organizations and internally within the website provide easy and intuitive search for the users. The links are phrased in simple "question" format to aid the public's search for information more readily (such as information on applying for a claim or filing a complaint).
For more information, please visit http://www.subcourts.gov.sg.

For more information on other winners of the Justice Served^TM Top 10 Court Websites, please visit http://www.justiceserved.com/top10sites.cfm