Introduction

The Jersey Legal Information Board (JLIB) is currently constituted as an unincorporated body, comprising members of the Island’s judiciary, civil servants, members of the legal profession, and a Senator of the States of Jersey. The Board’s vision is to see Jersey’s legal system recognised as the global best for a small jurisdiction. In order to achieve its vision, the approach of the Board is a progressive and forward-looking one, exploiting emerging technologies, and adopting a project-based methodology to deliver change. A brief résumé of each of the twelve projects/programmes of work being undertaken by JLIB is given at Appendix 1.

The elements of the JLIB strategy are:

To make the law and legal processes more accessible to the public.
To develop an integrated legal system.
To strengthen Jersey's position as a leading business centre.

Part One of this document sets out the accomplishments of JLIB during 2002, while Part Two sets out the goals for achievement in 2003 – 2005 and, where possible, the resources required to achieve these goals.

Bailiff

10 March 2003

Part One - Annual Report, 2002

During 2002, JLIB completed the following tasks in relation to each project/programme:

Project/Programme	Completed
Website	On-line publication of past papers for the Advocates and Solicitors examinations. Continued on-line publication of all Practice Directions. Continued on-line publication of the Jersey Law Review.
Legislation Revision	Continued on-line publication of Jersey’s legislation, as enacted. Continued on-line publication of Jersey’s legislation, as adopted by the States. Preparation for switch to new legislation format in 2003.
Case Law	On-line publication of Jersey Law Reports (and index) for 1985 to 2000. Continued on-line publication of Jersey’s Unreported Judgments series.
On-line Guidance/Jersey Encyclopaedia of Law	Creation of web casts for ‘making a will’ and ‘mediation’.
Civil Justice Electronic Case File Management Alternative Dispute Resolution	Piloted the running of selected cases, electronically. CEDR Solve (Dispute Resolution Service) was commissioned to report on the development of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Jersey. Report published on JLIB’s website.
Criminal Justice	Project Group established to examine the flow of information between connected agencies. Representatives from each agency met to establish information requirements.
Land Registry	Technology put in place to facilitate development of an on-line Public Registry.
Small Claims Procedure	Pilot for the mediation of small claims established and continued throughout 2002. 44% of disputes referred were successfully mediated.
Programme Management and Administration	Programme Management support provided by Computer Services Department in 2002.
Research and Development Digital Recording Video-conferencing	Most courts are now equipped with digital recording and retrieval systems. Video-conferencing used in a number of civil matters before the Royal Court, including the delivery of reserved judgments and directions hearings. The Loi (2002) (Amendement No. 9) Réglant La Procédure Criminelle came into force, facilitating bail applications by video-conference.
Consultation	Feedback received from JLIB’s website was collected and, where appropriate, acted upon. A presentation on the future of JLIB was given to an audience of politicians, senior civil servants and senior lawyers. A LINK (Legal Information Network of Knowledge) meeting was held and its electronic discussion forum was maintained. LINK is a discussion forum for all interested in the work of JLIB.
Judicial Training	JLIB continued to support and facilitate the provision of training for the Island’s judiciary, focussing on training for Jurats and Youth Court Panel Members during 2002.

Part Two - Business Plan, 2003 – 2005

Subject to the necessary resources being made available, JLIB intends to complete the following tasks during 2003 – 2005:

Project/Programme	Task	Resources Required
Website	Update design and capabilities of website. Maintain existing information on website and publish additional material. From 2003, collect, monitor and present website usage data (including comparisons with other States websites).	Capital funding of £50,000. Revenue funding of £45,000 pa (1 FTE, Webmaster) + £20,000 pa (contract maintenance)
Legislation Revision	Publish Jersey’s legislation, in fully revised and consolidated form on website (by 2004). Continued on-line publication of Jersey’s legislation in revised format, as enacted. Improve on-line legislation index.	Capital funding already provided by F&E Committee. Resources provided by States Greffe. Resources provided by States Greffe.
Case Law	Convert into electronic format and publish on- line the Jersey Judgments series from 1950 – 1984 (by 2004). Convert into electronic format and publish on- line backdated judgments in the Jersey Unreported Judgments series (by 2004). Continued and contemporary publication of the Jersey Law Reports.	Capital funding of £40,000. Capital funding of £30,000. Revenue Funding of £5,000 pa.
On-line Guidance/Jersey Encyclopaedia of Law	Pilot the on-line publication of 3 web casts and associated texts (in 2003). If pilot is successful, continued publication of web casts. Create on-line encyclopaedia of Jersey Law. Maintenance and translation of web casts.	Capital funding of £5,000 & resources from private sector. Capital funding of £10,000 pa & resources from private sector Capital funding of £10,000 pa & resources from private sector Revenue funding of £25,000 pa.
Civil Justice Electronic Case File Management Alternative Dispute Resolution	Continue and increase electronic management of case files. Provide training for potential mediators.	Capital funding of £25,000 pa. Revenue Funding of £30,000 pa.
Criminal Justice	Implement certain recommendations on data flows, management and records contained in the Cap Gemini Report and Rutherford Report (in association with Home Affairs Committee).	Capital funding of £40,000 pa.
Land Registry	Further develop an on-line Land Registry and monitor the outcome of Law Commission Report on the future of conveyancing in Jersey.	Development of on-line Registry in hand. Capital funding of £80,000 required by Judicial Greffe.
Small Claims Procedure	Evaluate and, if appropriate, continue to operate pilot scheme.	Resources from judicial departments.
Programme Management and Administration	Continued programme management and support (Computer Services Department support ceased at end of 2002).	Revenue funding of £62,000 pa, (1 FTE, Programme Director) + £56,000 pa (travel, meetings, adviser’s fees, PR etc).

Research and Development

Pilot new IT systems aimed at delivering a better and more cost-effective service.

Capital funding of £20,000 pa.

Consultation

Continued public consultation.

Resources from judicial departments.

Judicial Training

Continued training for members of the judiciary.

Revenue expenditure of £15,000 pa.

Conclusions

JLIB commenced its work in August 1998 and has survived on the basis of ad hoc funding and staffing arrangements ever since. Its flagship project, the JLIB Website, has become internationally accredited and receives over 200,000 visits every year. Now that the Board has become a recognised entity and its work is well under way, formal establishment and resourcing is a vital next step.

Whilst direct cost benefits are at this stage hard to quantify, the social benefits of the Board’s work are self-evident, particularly in relation to making legal processes freely accessible to the public (as demonstrated, for example, by the recently introduced Small Claims Procedure and the On-line Legal Guidance project). Moreover, the extent to which the JLIB website is now being regularly consulted by a wide range of users testifies to its importance as a resource recognised by the legal profession as well as the wider public including many users in the financial services sector outside the Island. Following consultation with the Law Society, the Board already has in hand income-generating initiatives associated with the website. Nonetheless, the Board’s work remains dependent upon structured core funding.

Appendix 1 -Résumé of JLIB Programmes

Project/Programme	Objective
Website	To disseminate a comprehensive body of legal information (including laws, judgments and legal guidance) as widely as possible, utilising the Internet. See: http://www.jerseylegalinfo.je.
Legislation Revision	Using the services of the recently appointed Law Revision Commissioner, to revise (annotate and update) the entire legislation of Jersey and publish it in electronic format on the JLIB website.
Case Law	To make available in electronic format via the JLIB website, all Jersey case law, in order to create a comprehensive on-line database (including Jersey Law Reports, Jersey Judgments and Unreported Judgments).
On-line Guidance/Jersey Encyclopaedia of Law	To develop on-line guides (using, for example, video presentations) for the public based around life events, such as making a will and buying a house. Also to develop an on-line Encyclopaedia of Jersey Law.
Civil Justice	To develop systems for streamlining, and improving the efficiency of, the civil justice system (by, for example, establishing systems for alternative dispute resolution and electronic case file management).
Criminal Justice	To develop a better integrated criminal justice system, with particular regard to improved management information, workflow and case management tools, and use of common interfaces and data warehousing.
Land Registry	To undertake a fundamental review of the process of registering conveyances of land in Jersey, including the development of a Land Registry which is accessible via the Internet.
Small Claims Procedure	To pilot and evaluate a special Small Claims Procedure, intended to provide for an accelerated process by which small claims can be resolved in a simple, inexpensive and speedy manner.
Programme Management and Administration	To provide a comprehensive service for the overall direction and administration of JLIB’s programmes.
Research and Development	To provide a proving ground for new technologies and initiatives in the legal sector, by undertaking pilot trials of selected technologies and by benchmarking against other jurisdictions.
Consultation	To facilitate consultation with JLIB’s stakeholders and receive feedback on programmes and projects, in order to establish areas most in need of investigation by JLIB for possible enhancements or process redesign.
Judicial Training	To act as co-ordinator and facilitator of the judicial training programme for all members of the Island’s judiciary (such training being an essential part of the judicial infrastructure).

Page last updated 05 May 2006