Web Bytes – 823

This week: Court digitization - the future is here; the evolving requirements of a law firm's website - why a website is more important than ever; and it's raining cats and dogs in residential complexes.

Court digitization - the future is here
South Africa - De Rebus
At the beginning of 2020, the Gauteng Division and Gauteng Local Division of the High Court, Pretoria and Johannesburg implemented a digital/electronic case management and litigation system, named CaseLines. The aim of the case management system is to enable litigants to file and upload pleadings and other documents electronically and to present their case and argument during court proceedings. The implementation of the system was apt and timely as the world was hit by a pandemic that insisted on limited human contact (see Mapula Sedutla ‘CaseLines: Electronic case management system implemented’ 2020 (Jan/Feb) DR 3).

I spoke to Executive Committee member of the Johannesburg Attorneys Association, attorney Yusuf Wadee, about how legal practitioners have been finding their feet using the electronic case management system.
De Rebus

The evolving requirements of a law firm's website
UK - Today's Conveyancer
Digital Marketing expert, Sam Borrett, director of Legmark, the specialist legal marketing agency, addresses why a website is more important than ever.

Many potential clients start their search for a law firm online and a website should act as an extension of your firm’s physical office. Translating that experience, the questions they ask and how you engage with them, will all increase the confidence that you are the right firm to assist them.

Used correctly a law firm’s website can be an effective dynamic form of driving new business. Adding new information, at any time, can help capture the attention and convert clients when the service is most relevant to their needs.

To gain better visibility for your site, your efforts need to be focused around the three Cs – compliance, content and collaboration.
Today's Conveyancer

It's raining cats and dogs in residential complexes
South Africa - PropertyWheel
Pets in residential complexes are a hot topic over a recent ruling by the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) that the conduct rules in sectional title developments should treat cats and dogs equally. While this decision by CSOS will be considered by other adjudicators, specialist sectional title attorney Marina Constas from BBM Law says that the pet debate is far from over.

“While this award is certainly interesting and it is currently the subject of many heated discussions in complexes and on social media, it is not legally binding, and it does not set a precedent like a High Court Case” she says. “Cat lovers in complexes should hold off on adopting new pets for now, based on this adjudication”.

Outlining the case, she explains that the applicant owner approached CSOS because she had been prohibited from keeping a kitten. “She contended that her complex’s conduct rule permitted dogs in the complex but not cats and this was unconstitutional and discriminatory. The owner wanted this rule amended” says Constas.
PropertyWheel