Legal Information Model

1. Summary (back to Contents)

1.1 Background
1.2 Approach
1.3 Recommendations

1.1 Background (back to top)

One of the aims of the Jersey Legal Information Board (JLIB) is to provide an integrated legal system in Jersey. As its first project towards this aim, it has commissioned the development of a Legal Information Model, to document the major flows of information within the legal system, and to highlight scope for improving and integrating processes and communications.

1.2 Approach (back to top)

An Information Model has been produced, addressing 14 processes within the legal system, describing main steps, organisations and information flows involved in their delivery. These "profiles" are attached as Appendix G. The inter-relationships between the processes are shown in the "high-level model" in figures 1 and 2 at section 2.3 of this report. A number of recommendations have arisen from the study.

1.3 Recommendations (back to top)

It is recommended that JLIB (or some other responsible central body) makes plans to achieve "end to end" handling of cases (civil actions and criminal cases) (defined in section 3) over an agreed timescale, by:

· encouraging organisations within the legal arena to adopt Workflow-based information systems (defined in 3.5) and jointly to develop automated interfaces with neighbouring organisations’ information systems;

· ensuring that organisations take responsibility for actioning this;

· setting standards and formats for organisations to use in agreeing these interfaces (which will require the four elements of Case ID, Cover Page, History, and Trigger) and promoting appropriate security measures;

· specifically, developing a unified Case ID format to be used by all parties;

· guiding organisations’ developments towards the achievement of the long term goal, making use of the Information Model where appropriate, by holding an overview of:

o the information systems being used, developed and proposed by organisations involved in the handling of cases, and

o the interfaces between these systems;

· keeping the organisations in touch with the "big picture" and with each others’ developments, by the LINK forum (Legal Information Network of Knowledge) and other means;

· promoting the development of a Workflow system for the Royal Court and Jersey Court of Appeal which might form the "backbone" of integrated "end to end" case handling.

The report also recommends that JLIB (or another responsible central body):

· examines the implications of the new Magistrates Court complex not having been designed to accommodate the "electronic Courtroom";

· examines the impact of the Human Rights legislation on requirements for access to legal information;

· provides a site search engine, and provides links to related legislation, for the Unreported Judgements in the Legal Information website;

· presents an adapted version of the Legal Information Model on the Internet as an introduction to legal processes in Jersey.

It also makes a number of more minor recommendations in sections 3 to 8. All recommendations are also listed in Appendix E.