Lawyers call for efficient and transparent digitisation of justice system
Despite various digitalisation initiatives, the Justice Department continues to face structural problems in digitalisation. Stronger governance, clearer roles and more structural consultation should contribute to a successful digital transition. Advocaat.be and Avocats.be are calling for concrete action to make efficient progress with Justice during a hearing on Justice's digital transformation.
Better governance and commitment needed
The digitisation of Justice requires a clear structure. More effective governance is needed the set of rules and processes that determine how digitisation is governed and controlled, and a clearer division of roles between the actors involved. Projects such as JustJudgment, JustSign and JustCase, which have a legal basis, made no or too little significant progress. Moreover, there remain ambiguities in the funding of key initiatives such as JustRestart.
Advocaat.be and Avocats.be confirm their willingness to continue building a more efficient, digital judicial process together with the Justice Department.
We want to continue to support Justice in its digital transformation, but the framework needs to be optimised and respected.
Call for concrete action
To make Justice's digital transformation successful, Advocaat.be and Avocats.be argue for:
- A transparent structure with a clear mandate, funding and decision-making power.
- Clarity on budgets and compliance with commitments of all actors within digitalisation.
- Prioritisation of projects that make Justice more efficient and accessible.
- Legal certainty around cooperation models.
They therefore call on the federal government to set a clear course and implement the necessary governance structures. These include how decisions are made, who is responsible for certain actions, and how transparency and accountability are ensured. Only with a well-defined plan and sustainable cooperation models can Justice catch up with its digital backlog and ensure more efficient justice for all stakeholders.
We must remain committed to digital justice that supports the rule of law, while respecting the principles of legal protection and access to justice.
Reliable partners for a modern Justice
As part of the judicial organisation, Advocaat.be and Avocats.be contribute to a more efficient justice system. They have been a silent driving force behind the digitisation of Justice for years. Thanks to pre-funding, they make crucial applications possible, but structural funding often remains uncertain. They play a key role in the development of digital applications such as Regsol (insolvency proceedings), JustRestart (collective debt settlement) and Salduz (assistance at first interrogation). They also manage essential platforms such as DPA-deposit and DPA-box, which facilitate digital communication between lawyers and the judiciary.
Overview applications by Advocaat.be / Advocats.be
Name |
Description |
Developed |
Lawyers' card |
The lawyer's card is a mandatory electronic identity card for lawyers registered at a Belgian bar association, providing secure access to digital legal platforms, enabling digital signatures and granting access to courthouses and prisons. |
X |
Automatic computerised monitoring of third-party accounts |
This control performs monitoring of third-party and section accounts of lawyers, regulating the processing of personal data for more efficient monitoring and better anti-money laundering protection. |
X |
BJB application second-line assistance |
The BJB module manages files for second-line legal assistance. |
X |
DPA-Box |
DPA-Jbox is a secure that allows clerks' offices to send copies of judgments to lawyers digitally, with the same legal value as a registered mail, and allows lawyers to exchange messages with clerks' offices and conferees. |
X |
DPA-Deposit |
DPA-Deposit is a digital application that allows lawyers to efficiently file briefs, documents and petitions with clerks' offices, exchange documents with conferees and courts, and maintain an overview of all transactions within their files. |
X |
JustCase |
JustCase is file management system specially developed for the Supreme Court, criminal execution courts, juvenile courts and juvenile courts. |
|
JustConsult |
JustConsult is an application that allows you to digitally access criminal files in which you are acting from anywhere. |
|
JustCourt |
This tool allows hybrid or virtual hearings within Belgium's courts. |
|
JustJudgement |
JustJudgment is a central registry that promotes public access to Belgian justice by publishing both pseudonymised and original court decisions, with a focus on digitisation, privacy protection and the potential use of AI techniques. |
|
JustMask |
JustMask is a pseudonymisation tool for judgments and decisions |
|
JustOne |
This is a case management system. |
X |
Just-on-web |
Just-on-web bundles all online services of FPS Justice on one platform. |
X |
JustPay |
||
JustRestart |
JustRestart is a digital platform for handling collective debt settlement files, in which creditors, debtors and third parties can submit petitions and claims, while magistrates, court clerks and debt mediators manage the files. |
X |
JustSign |
JustSign enables digital signatures essential for digital files |
X |
RegSol |
The Central Register of Solvency (Regsol) is a digital platform for insolvency files that allows courts, trustees, debtors and creditors to manage bankruptcy and reorganisation proceedings electronically, exchange documents and access them. |
X |
Salduzweb |
The Salduzweb application facilitates the assignment of lawyers to assist in interrogations under the Salduz legislation by connecting verbalisers and lawyers. |
X |
Access authentic sources through DPA |
DPA One Source is the authentic digital source for lawyer data in Belgium, ensuring that a lawyer is active and not suspended or deleted, and acts as a central link to other professional bodies such as notaries and bailiffs. |
X |
This list has no guarantee of accuracy, completeness or timeliness.
Latest press releases
'The hijacking of Pompeii' hijacks Press Award
The jury of the Advocaat.be press prize has selected 'The Hijacking of Pompeii' as the winner. Second and third place go to De Coke Lijnen, a series by Lars Bové and Piet Depuydt in the newspaper De Tijd, and De zaak Carlo, a Panoreportage (VRT) by journalist Dirk Leestmans, director Jeremy De Ryckere and cameraman Stijn De Moor.
National action: Presidents of the Bar Associations carry out surveillance in all Belgian prisons
To mark European Human Rights Day, all Belgian Presidents of the Bar Associations are exercising their new legal visitation right, which since this year has allowed them to visit prisons within their jurisdiction. Every President of a Bar Associations in Belgium is visiting one of the prisons today. This national action underlines the seriousness of the situation in Belgian prisons, where overcrowding and a lack of basic facilities threaten the fundamental rights of detainees.
16 lawyers scrapped in 2022-2023
The College of Supervision of the Flemish Legal Profession has published its fourth report. This provides an overview of disciplinary proceedings against lawyers in Flanders (including Brussels-Dutch) in the judicial year running from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023.