ADJD launches pioneering ‘One Stop Shop for Litigation’ initiative

ABU DHABI, The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has announced the launch of a new initiative dubbed as “One Stop Shop for Litigation”, which allows judges of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra courts to hear disputes and render judgments from anywhere without being restricted by the geographical location of registered cases, by utilising video conference technology.

These services are provided while taking into account the courts’ jurisdiction and enforcing judgements within the jurisdiction of the city in which the case is registered.

A first of its kind in the world, the initiative complements the ADJD’s efforts to streamline procedures and expedite the resolution of disputes, to achieve its strategic priority of enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of judicial processes, ADJD explained.

Yousef Saeed Al Abri, Under-Secretary of ADJD, confirmed that this step has helped the courts of the emirate achieve global leadership in the field of electronic litigation, in line with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to meet the judicial and legal needs, keep pace with the rapid developments witnessed by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and established developed and integrated legal and judicial system capable of providing fast and flexible judicial services, as per the best international practices and standards.

The initiative will lead to reducing the litigation time and costs and increasing the rate of disposition, he continued. Moreover, the one-stop-shop will contribute to enhancing the community’s confidence in the judicial system and betterment of judgments, 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.

Al Abri also indicated that the initiative, which was launched at a cost of zero dirhams, leveraging remote litigation technology and the ADJD’s technical resources, in addition to utilising the distinguished judicial capabilities and expertise that the ADJD has to offer.

Source: Emirates News Agency