Court Diary System

The Court Diary System supports the management of listed cases for a Court and the allocation of next hearing dates.

The system can be implemented on the Libra OA network, using a shared central database to ensure that all the information is available to the various court staff who require access, subject to security features. Cases are transferred, as part of an overnight process, from the Court Computer System once an initial date of hearing is allocated and the cases are released.

The use of courtrooms is managed by the allocation of a series of hearing sessions, each comprising of a physical courtroom, court indicator, date, period of time and type of business. User defined parameters indicate how many cases may be dealt with during this session and the system monitors under or over utilisation of sessions.

The system can either be used in court where the clerk is able to select a type of business from a series of buttons. The available dates and times are listed showing the day of the week, the number of days ahead, the available time remaining and any notes relating to that session.

The defendant and selected date of hearing are selected by clicking on the required entries and then accepting the date. The defendant details are automatically updated and the time required for the hearing is deducted from the available minutes.

The system can also be implemented as a 'Back Office' system where clerks or legal advisors can telephone for a date of hearing.

Notes can be added to individual cases showing requirements, for example where video facilities or interpreters are required or to a session where details are relevant to the effective management of time.

Collapsed trials can be recorded showing the reasons, who requested the cancellation and minutes originally allocated. The time allocated can be released for other use from within the same process.

Comprehensive overviews are available to manage the distribution of cases and to produce court lists.