1. Digital case files project Kairit Kulm Project manager Centre of Registers and Information Systems

2. Centre of Registers and Information Systems (RIK)
RIK is one of the biggest IT agencies in the public sector of Estonia.
We develop and maintain all information systems and computer park under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice.
RIK maintains ca 70 information systems:
business register, land register, criminal records database, court information system, e-file, State Gazette, e-notary, prison and probation information system etc.
Since 2014 RIK is the central procurer of all Estonian public sector hardware.

3. The problem
In the year 2015 the Estonian court system produced more than case files. The costs of printing the digital evidence created in computers is euros a year. Postal costs of courts in 2015 where around euros.
Photo: Peeter Langovits
Photo: Margus Ansu

4. The goal
Goal in the development plan of MoJ for Paperless court proceedings
One of the first steps in achieving the goal is the creation of the digital case files platform.
The software of digital case files ties hundreds of pages of court files in one form and in one place.
We start with civil and administrative matters.

5. Application for funding
First steps
Design contest
Spring 2013
3 participants
Prize fund of 4000 euros
Application for funding
euros for stage I
Procurement
March 2014
2 offers
Framework agreement
September 2014
Contract for 3 years

6. Development process Additional work for stage I I stage of development
September 2014 – May 2015
Ca euros
Additional work for stage I
June- October 2015
Ca euros
II stage of development
December February 2016
Ca euros
III stage of development
In preparation

7. Main problems faced Choice of words in the initial task description.
Timeframes when procuring innovation. „I know what I want, but I do not know how much it costs or how long will it take.“
Allocation of resources and buffer.

8. Head of the Department for Law Enforcement Information Systems
The team
Business matters
Technical matters
IT Project Manager and
Head of the Department for Law Enforcement Information Systems
Product owner from the Ministry of Justice
Technical architect
2 business analysts
2 system administrators

9. The backbone of the project

10. Starting a court case in the Public e-File

11. Registering the case in Court Information System

12. Viewing the meta data in the Digital Case Files system

13. Viewing the consolidated document

14. Searching in the Digital Case File system

15. Digital case files system allows to..
Navigate comfortably within a court case and all its proceedings and documents.
View documents that are part of a case file together with the belonging information:
Individually;
As a consolidated document;
By filtering only the important documents.
Consume meta data of the proceeding.
Search for information from both within the files and from the meta data over the whole case.
Highlight and comment relevant information.
Export the case into pdf, to work with it even without internet access.

16. Digital case files today and tomorrow
A pilot group of judges and judicial clerks have been created.
The next step is piloting with lawyers and citizens (in July).
Enhancing the system.
Live phase in the end of 2016 or in the beginning of 2017.
Giving legal significance to the software and digital documents.
Criminal proceedings, misdemeanor matters, constitutional review proceedure.
And then…
Pre-action proceedings, extrajudicial procedures, enforcement procedure, prison proceedings…

17. Some recommendations Solve a problem rather then try to innovate.
Dream big, start small!

18. Thank you! Kairit.Kulm@just.ee