Where law and innovation meet - 3G and other Technologies 

The above scenario might sound like science fiction, but the prospect of a virtual courtroom where hearings are conducted in cyberspace is closer to reality than you think. The technologies involved are already well under way, with some to be implemented by the end of the year. Yesterday, the Subordinate Courts officially launched its in-house laboratory, called iLabCourt, where the latest technologies are being test-bedded by legal and information technology experts, as they seek to pioneer the infusion of technology with the administration of justice.

A 10-man advisory council — headed by Subordinate Court registrar Toh Han Li and consisting of judges, lawyers, regulators, researchers and representatives from prominent IT companies — has also been set up to provide a strategic direction for the application of IT in the courts.

The highlight of new technologies to be rolled out within the next five months is a new video-conferencing platform that incorporates 3G capabilities.

Since 2001, video conferencing has been incorporated in the court process, allowing lawyers to attend pre-trial conferences and short hearings from the comfort of their own offices. But according to a Subordinate Courts spokesperson, uptake has been slow due to the high costs involved. Thus far, only 25 law firms have come on board.

The new, more affordable platform will enable lawyers to go beyond face-to-face communication by allowing them to share documents and use multimedia to aid their presentations. The sessions, which will also allow instant messaging and SMSes, can be recorded to facilitate playback by the courts. The best part is that lawyers can participate in these sessions from anywhere, said Mr Toh. "Right now, they can do it from their offices, but next time, with a 3G phone, they can do it while they are in Starbucks having coffee," he added.

By the end of the year, traffic offenders will also be able to plead guilty and pay their fines online. Another innovation due by year-end is the use of barcodes that would be tagged to court documents like hearing lists. Members of the public can capture the barcodes with their camera phones and download the schedules onto their phones.

An extensive recording system will also be installed in the courtrooms that would allow the judges to play back, review, share and copy audio and video recordings of trials. Court proceedings, including notes taken by the judges with the aid of an electronic pen, would be time-stamped.

The courts, however, will not be embracing the full possibilities of technology as far as video recording of trial proceedings are concerned. The use of video recordings during court proceedings would compromise judiciary policies, Mr Toh explained. It would put the Courts in an awkward position, as the Court of Appeal might find itself reviewing numerous video footages of trials for which judgements have already been passed.

"We have decided not to use video recording for the time being. By using it, the Court of Appeal is in as good a position to hear and see what the trial judge did. It will result in a lot of re-hearings and we are not sure if we want to move in that direction," he said.

Other technologies that would be phased in later on are the tagging of accused people to track their movement around the court premises, and the use of electronic translators. The latter will be looked at more closely, as the choice of words during proceedings is "particularly important", said Mr Toh.