Circular No: 182/2022
Date: 7 December 2022
Dear Members of the Kuala Lumpur Bar,
The Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee Civil Practice & Court Liaison Committee (“KLBC CPCLC”) together with the Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee Technology Committee (“KLBC TC”) have reviewed and looked into various issues faced by legal practitioners relating to the Electronic Filing System (“EFS”) .
We have identified six (6) issues and a comprehensive proposal with suggested solutions was prepared by the sub-committees and submitted to the e-Court Division on 26 October 2022. The objective of this proposal was to bring the said issues to the relevant stakeholders’ attention and to propose solutions that may improve the efficacy of EFS for the long-term benefit of both the Judiciary and the members of the Bar.
The proposed solutions to the six (6) issues are:
E-Review Sessions
- Length Of E-Review Sessions
Suggested that every E-Review session be concluded by the close of business of the Court i.e. 4:30pm on the said day, and that no E-Review session shall be closed without all parties having acknowledged the directions given by the Courts. However, if there is no acknowledgement from the parties within two (2) days from the date of the Case Management, then the session can be automatically closed. - Limitation On The Number Of Characters In A Message
Suggested to increase the character limit to 1000 characters per message or remove the word limitation. It was also suggested to have functions such as ‘Bold’, ‘Italics’, and numbered lists to be enabled, if possible. - Auto-Scroll When E-Review Session Is Refreshed
Suggested that the e-Review chat box coding be revised so as to disable the auto-scrolling effect or allow the auto-scrolling effect to be disabled by choice. This is so that the scroll position would be maintained despite the messages being refreshed and updated. - Identification Of Parties During E-Review Session By Colour Coding
Suggested to have different colours for each party so that it would be easier to differentiate the messages from the parties and those from the Court. It was further suggested that each message entered is preceded with the names of the attendees and the party they represent.
Accessibility To Past E-Review Sessions
- Implementation Of Button To Download Minutes Of E-Review Sessions
To allow the attendees to download the complete E-Review minutes in PDF form upon conclusion of a session and/or at a later time. This would allow solicitors and Registrars / Judges to save all the E-Review minutes for future reference. - Implementation Of Button To Access Past E-Review Sessions Or Minutes
To allow members to access past E-Review sessions/minutes relating to the same matter.
E-Review Forms
- E-Review Forms Upon Submission To Be Allowed To Be Updated
To have an “Update” button at the bottom of each and every E-Review form to allow members to amend and update the relevant forms accordingly. - E-Review Form 4
To remove unnecessary paragraphs and sub-paragraphs i.e. paragraph 3 and sub-paragraph 2(ii) and 2 (iii). - E-Review Form 6
Proposed to do away with Form 6 in its entirety and rely upon the trial documents, especially the Summary of Case, filed by the parties respectively at the stage of the proceedings.
Filing And Uploading Of Documents On EFS Website
- Limitation Of Number Of Documents Uploaded During “Case Initiation” Stage
Proposed to remove the limitation on the number of documents allowed to be uploaded, or alternatively, increase the maximum number of documents uploaded to 25 at the Case Initiation Stage. - Uploading Of Media Files
To allow members to upload media files (subject to a controlled list of allowed file type and maximum size) via EFS, either in the form of an embedded media in the PDF documents uploaded, or separately as a media file.
User Interface (Layout) Of “My Filing” Landing Page
- Access To List Of Cause Papers Filed In A Matter
To make it easier to access the cause lists and provide a more detailed list of cause papers filed in that particular case. - Online File Search
To have another side bar/ button to link the members to the ticket purchasing page and provide an option to download all of the enclosures and/or select multiple enclosures to be downloaded at one time.
Signing Up Of New EFS User Account
- Registration Of New EFS User Account In New Firm
To allow members to recycle previous login ID in registering for new user profile in a new firm.
We are pleased to inform members that the Court have verbally informed that it has accepted the proposals and the suggestions are aimed to be implemented in phase 3 of the EFS by the end of next year.
We hope that the improvement of the system in phase 3 will be beneficial to the Judiciary and the members of the Bar.
Vivekananda Sukumaran
Chairman
Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee
Nimalan Devaraja
Co-Chairperson
Civil Practice & Court Liaison Committee & Technology Committee
Lim Yin Faye
Co-Chairperson
Civil Practice & Court Liaison Committee
Terrence Lee Rohui
Co-Chairperson
Technology Committee