Federal Court IT Guidelines Delayed until 2009

The Federal Court of Australia's "Guidelines for the Use of Information Technology in Litigation in Any Civil Matter" were due to be revised by 1 July 2008, but have now been delayed until 2009:

In 2007 the Federal Court commenced a comprehensive review of Practice Note No 17 with the assistance of a consultant, Ms Jo Sherman.

Following extensive consultations with litigants, legal practitioners and others, a draft Practice Note and related materials were finalised by Ms Sherman and referred to the Court's National Practice Committee in mid 2008.

These draft documents are now being reviewed by the Court in light of recent case management initiatives (including the legislative reforms in this area proposed by the federal Attorney-General) and further comments provided by litigants, legal practitioners and others with an interest in the use of technology in legal proceedings.

It is expected that a number of changes will be made to the documents, and that the final versions will be formally released in early 2009....

From: Review of Practice Note No 17 - Guidelines for the Use of Information Technology in Litigation in Any Civil Matter, Federal Court of Australia Practice News No. 59, October 2008