With legal services now being offered online, people no longer need to go to a law firm in order to get legal assistance. This has made access to legal services much easier for people worldwide, regardless of their location or financial status. Vakeel Online was one of the organizations highlighted by the Authorities for Justice Forum (T4JF) conference held in Pakistan.
“Delays in cases are the biggest challenge our criminal justice system faces, it devastates families and litigants,” said Hon. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court of Pakistan at the final edition of Technology for Justice Forum (T4JF) 2022, held in Islamabad where he honoured the event as the keynote speaker.
Two Million Pending Cases in Supreme Court
Honorable juror emphasized intensifying our approach to making certain legal cases are adequately heard to address over two million issues pending before the Supreme Court, We need to reduce delays, expedite court hearings, and strengthen alternate dispute mechanisms.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah lamented the lengthy casing processes caused by manual systems. We ought to reduce the shelf life of cases to one year by strengthening the alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, introducing online hearing arrangements, and implementing data-driven monitoring systems.
The conference was oriented towards the implementation of tech-based solutions that have the potential to reform Pakistan’s justice system. The participants included legal system professionals, government actors, and technologists, all of whom were given the opportunity to showcase and promote new technologies that have the potential to revolutionize Pakistan’s judicial system.
Chief Justice Islamabad High Court, Justice Athar Minallah concluded the conference by emphasizing on the need for a “movement towards reimagining the justice system according to the technological requirements of the 21st century”. Commenting on the initiatives taken by the IHC, Chief Justice Minallah added, ‘Islamabad High Court was the first court to introduce e-court proceedings during Covid-19, and upload all interim court orders on its website.’
Justice Athar Minallah
Who else Attended Conference
Omar Soomro – Secretary of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, Shoaib Shaheen – President of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, Munizae Jahangir – Board Member of the Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell, and Muhammad Ahmad Pansota – Sr. Legal Analyst and Partner at Ahmad & Pansota were some of the biggest stars from the legal profession who attended the keynote speech.
“Going forward, technology is becoming more relevant in all walks of life especially when it comes to the legal field and access to justice”, said His Excellency Bernhard Schlagheck, the German Ambassador to Pakistan.
According to T4JF, it desired to provide solutions for the injustices plaguing our society by enabling pilots to confront a major problem, creating a program to clear the backlog of 2.1 million cases, digitizing court records, developing mobile applications for litigants, and building what became a thriving community of lawyers. Two editions of the conference took place beforehand.
Isfundiar Kasuri, Co-Founder Vakeel Online
“This final edition of T4JF 2022, is a culmination of this year’s journey proving the potential of legal tech in Pakistan. The forum’s central aim is an improved human rights regime, greater transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the legal system. Introducing technology in the legal system means that we are empowering the people of Pakistan. Our dream is to make every Pakistani a part of this digital legal Pakistan with justice in the palm of their hands”, said Isfundiar Kasuri, Co-Founder Vakeel Online.
