OntarioCourtDates.ca Launched

It may not be a giant step for mankind, but it’s at least a baby step toward the technological modernization of Ontario’s archaic court system.

On April 16, 2014, Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General  announced the launch of OntarioCourtDates.ca, an online service that lists daily dockets for all Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice courtrooms throughout the province.

Searching the website by municipality and case name, you can access listings of the next day’s pending cases, court room numbers and scheduled hearing times.

The AG’s press release notes:

• The online daily court lists will be updated each day around 4:30 p.m. with case information for the next 24 hours.
• Cases subject to statutory, common law or court-ordered public access restrictions will not appear on the online court lists. This includes cases about adoptions, child protection cases and criminal cases involving youth. Cases subject to a publication ban will list only the initials of the parties involved, not their full names.

Today’s tip, then, is:  Use OntarioCourtDates.ca effectively to enhance your client services and communications.

Make it a point to check online at 4:30 daily to determine your courtrooms for the next day, and reach out to advise your clients by email and/or phone as to the start times and courtrooms they are to report to the following morning.

This little gesture might provide unexpected peace of mind to clients, many of whom may be facing the daunting experience of attending at court for the first time.

What an easy way to strengthen your firm’s relationships with its clients and to provide genuinely better service, all at the same time.

 – Garry J. Wise, Toronto (@wiselaw on Twitter)