Appeal Court blends justice delivery with technology.

As part of efforts to meet the challenges of the new
legal year, President, Court of Appeal, Justice
Zainab Bulkachuwa and other Justices of the court,
have stepped up efforts to make the appellate
court information technology compliant.
The modernization project of the Court of Appeal
came after a recent study visit to Australia and it is
to institute a comprehensive modernization of the
court's operational system to meet international
standard.
According to a source close to the President of the
court, the visit was to help the Appeal Court
Justices understand the electronic filling otherwise
known as the e-filling (Virtual court) project.
It was gathered that the visit demonstrated to the
management of the court the need for a Court
Records and Information Management and E- filing
System.
One of the crucial areas visited was the Federal
Family Court of Australia to see the efficient
implementation of an E -filing system and the
practical needs of court management framework.
The delegation met with the Chief Justice of Family
Court of Australia, Diana Bryant.
All the sessions were interactive and informal and
it is hoped that the initiative will be backed up by
actions as the 2014/2015 Legal Year of the court
begins.
It was gathered that the Court of Appeal, online
appeal filling system is an essential component of
the strategic plan for technology for the court.
Stakeholders said that the e-filing is to transform
the Court of Appeal from a paper-based process to
an electronic environment, where interactions
occur via internet or automated voice-response
with improved servicing timeframes; e-filing
system will be used by 90 percent of court staff
and Judicial Officers and will transform the way
cases are received, adjudicated and disposed of.
The stakeholders noted that e-filing system will
significantly improve the quality of justice rendered
in Nigeria's trial courts by providing lawyers,
judges and litigants with visibility and access to
case information across all Nigerian courts.
Highlights of the e-filing system include
institutional filers (Lawyers etc.) transmit directly
from their computer systems; lawyers can file via
the internet, tablets or kiosks; case records stored
electronically; Nigeria Appeal Court can be
accessed 24×7 from any location through the
internet; lawyers, litigants, justice partners, judicial
officers and court staff can search across all case
types for cases; Nigeria courts at the push of a
button and better information drives more-in
formed decisions and reduces the risk of
conflicting orders.