Greater Use of Technology in Court Operations
The progress of key technology initiatives is summarized below.
| The integrated Court Case Management System (“iCMS”) 1 | |
| • | Successfully implemented in the District Court as of May 2022, currently covering Personal Injuries Actions, Tax Claims, Civil Actions and Employees’ Compensation Cases. |
| • | Rolled out in summons cases of the Magistrates’ Courts in December 2022. |
| • | Launched in bulk claims cases of the Small Claims Tribunal as of October 2024. |
| • | Scheduled to expand to other courts (the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court and non-summons cases of the Magistrates’ Courts) for use incrementally starting from 2025. |
| • | Mandatory use of the iCMS is planned to begin in 2026 for all legally represented litigants in case types where the electronic mode is available. The legal profession and other key stakeholders were consulted regarding the implementation arrangements in January 2024. |
| E-bundle hearings | |
| • | Between December 2020 and December 2024, around 140 e-bundle hearings were successfully conducted in the High Court, the District Court and the Family Court. Most of these hearings pertained to civil trials in the Court of First Instance, such as hearings related to company disputes, winding-up proceedings, and bankruptcy matters. |
| • | Efforts will focus on encouraging greater adoption of e-bundle hearings, drawing from operational experience and lessons learned. |
| Remote hearings | |
| • | Between 2020 and December 2024, approximately 2 100 remote hearings (including video-conferencing or phone hearings) were successfully conducted. |
| • | To provide a clear legal framework for remote hearings, the Courts (Remote Hearing) Bill was introduced into the Legislative Council on 4 December 2024, and is currently under scrutiny. |
| Live broadcasting of court proceedings outside court premises | |
| • | From January to May 2024, trial runs of live broadcasting were conducted for four selected cases of the Court of Final Appeal, to test the technical feasibility, as well as the logistical and operational arrangements. |
| • | A comprehensive review is currently underway to determine the way forward for live broadcasting of court proceedings outside court premises as part of a longer-term strategy. |
| Use of voice-to-text (“VTT”) technology (an artificial intelligence (“AI”) technology) for recording court proceedings | |
| • | Incremental deployment of VTT technology across various levels of court began in late 2024, aimed at streamlining the note-taking process for judges and judicial officers during hearings. |
| • | Exploration of further applications is underway to utilize VTT technology for producing court transcripts, with the goal of enhancing efficiency and ensuring the accurate generation of transcripts over the long term. |
| Guidelines on the use of generative AI | |
| • | The first set of guidelines governing the use of generative AI for judges and judicial officers and support staff was promulgated in July 2024. |
| • | Judges and judicial officers and support staff are encouraged to make prudent and responsible use of generative AI in the course of their duties, ensuring its application is both appropriate and aligned with the guidelines. |
| Information technology (“IT”) infrastructure | |
| • | The Legislative Council approved the funding commitment of around $781 million in May 2024 for the development of IT infrastructure in the new District Court Building on Caroline Hill Road and upgrading of IT infrastructure of the Judiciary. |
| • | Detailed implementation arrangements are in progress, including the design, planning, procurement, and installation of the systems and equipment incorporating the latest IT and audio-visual technologies; building a new primary data centre in the new District Court Building to support all court premises; as well as upgrading the IT infrastructure in the West Kowloon Law Courts Building data centre to serve as the backup data centre for all premises in the Judiciary. |
| • | The project is targeted for completion by the end of 2027 to coincide with the commissioning of the new District Court Building. |
| IT security | |
| • | The IT security policy is being updated, and the IT security measures are being strengthened across various areas in alignment with the relevant IT security standards and requirements stipulated by the Government. |
| • | The IT infrastructure facilities of the new District Court Building have been designed to meet the highest level of IT security mandated by the Government, ensuring robust protection and compliance. |
| • | The core technologies and technical services adopted conform to the highest government standards in data management and protection, service stability and sustainable development. These measures address three key aspects of information and data security: confidentiality, integrity and availability. |
1The iCMS is an e-litigation platform developed in phases to handle court-related documents and payments electronically across various levels of court since 2022. The major electronic services provided under the iCMS include: sending and receiving case-specific court documents to and from the e-Courts; inspecting or searching filed documents and other case-related information held by the e-Courts; searching cause books; and making electronic payments for court services.
Last Update Date : 20-01-2025