Abu Dhabi judicial department launches 'One Stop Shop for Litigation'

Abu Dhabi - The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department's 'One Stop Shop for Litigation' initiative is the first of its kind in the world

Published: Sat 2 Oct 2021, 6:48 PM

Updated: Sun 3 Oct 2021, 8:55 PM

By
Ismail Sebugwaawo

Judges of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra courts can now hear disputes and render judgements from anywhere without being restricted by the geographical location of registering cases.

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) on Saturday announced the launch of a new initiative titled 'One Stop Shop for Litigation' — the first of its kind in the world.

Under the initiative, judges can rely on video conference technology to make their decisions. The initiative complements the ADJD's efforts to streamline procedures and speed up the resolution of disputes to deliver efficient justice.

Yousef Saeed Al-Abri, the undersecretary of ADJD, said that this step has helped the the Capital's courts achieve global leadership in the field of electronic litigation.

The initiative came as part of the directives of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.

The top priorities included meeting the judicial and legal needs, adopting to the rapid developments in Abu Dhabi and achieving the goal of having developed and integrated a legal system capable of providing fast and flexible judicial services, in compliance with the best international practices and standards.

“Working according to the newly launched initiative will lead to reducing the litigation time and increasing the rate of disposition, in addition to decreasing the cost of litigation," Al-Abri said.

He added that the one-stop-shop initiative would also benefit the community.

"The one-stop-shop will contribute to enhancing the community's confidence in the judicial system and betterment of judgements through the transfer of knowledge among judges, and raising the efficiency of judges in remote courts, as they will have to hear and resolve more cases, while making further communication and deliberations with judges of other courts," he said.

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He also indicated that the initiative, which didn't cost anything to launch, benefited from the remote litigation technology by making optimal use of the technical resources of ADJD — considered the most sophisticated in the region. It also relied on the distinguished judicial capabilities and expertise of the judicial department.

It is the latest in the spate of digital initiatives introduced by the judicial department since the outbreak of Covid-19, when most hearings at Abu Dhabi courts have been heard remotely without litigants or lawyers physically attending the court rooms.