21 Nov 2024
The UK Supreme Court (UKSC) and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) will launch two brand-new websites and a Case Management Portal on 4th December 2024. The new websites and portal with revolutionise the way users interact with the Court, whether that be for a case or to learn more about and engage with the highest court in the land.
The websites - one for both the UKSC and the JCPC - will provide a comprehensive overview of the Court's legal and educational work, as well as an improved method of allowing legal professionals, school groups and members of the public to book tours, meeting rooms and events
The websites will also be a pathway to the new portal, which will enable users to file court documents digitally and track the progress of their case in real time at their own convenience. In line with best practice, the portal will interact with the websites, by for example, publishing online updates on cases drawn from new information originally uploaded to the portal.
Alongside the new portal, detailed user-friendly instructional guides and a suite of videos will be available online, enabling users to get the maximum benefit from the new system.
Both the portal and websites have been created with Court users in mind, making interactions with the Court as effortless as possible. In particular, those who require additional support, such as Litigants in Person will find that the changes will enable them to engage with the Court in a straightforward and supported way, beginning with a simple check to find out whether they are eligible to use the Court.
In this video, the Court’s President Lord Reed, and Registrar Celia Cave give a brief overview of how the portal and websites will improve the experience of all Court users.
The websites and the portal are two of the main outputs from the UKSC's wide-ranging three-year Change Programme, now in its final year. The Change Programme is transforming the UKSC and JCPC into modern, world-leading courts, which are customer-centric, open and transparent. This will lead to increased levels of public awareness and trust, whilst always putting users at their heart. The new systems will complement and enhance not only the judicial functions of the Court, but also its educational remit, as it showcases and explains the UK's judicial arrangements to both domestic and international visitors. The websites and portal utilise the latest technology and have been delivered on time and within the agreed budget.
Reflecting on the upcoming launch, the Court’s Director of Corporate Services and Change, Sam Clark, said:
“I am delighted to share the date when the UKSC and JCPC’s new websites and Case Management Portal will be launched. We have been committed right the way through this Programme to putting users at the heart of everything we do. We have worked extensively alongside our Change partners, Capgemini and Q5, to develop products and ways of working which allow users to interact with the us in a streamlined and straightforward way, supporting our vision to be an open, transparent and world-leading court.”
The success of the Change Programme has been made possible through extensive engagement with a wide variety of users prior to the portal and websites going live. Almost 350 external users have helped in the new systems’ testing and research, including legal professionals, academics, the public and the many visitors who come to the Court.
Maura Kalthoff
maura.kalthoff@supremecourt.uk