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Originally Posted by Still Growing  There are entire departments, buildings, storage and so on just to keep track. This is all un-needed. |
You're quite right. In my country, all the courts have moved away from paper. Everything is electronic. Lawyers submit their legal documents to the judge in PDF. Every courtroom is fitted with three computers, one for the judge, one for the plaintiff's lawyer and one for the defendant's lawyer. Rach computer has two or three screens. The three computers are linked, so that the judge can say: "I refer to Paragraph 56 on Page 25 of the Affidavit on Screen 2" and all the lawyers can immediately see what the judge is referring to. Lawyers no longer really need to bring big stacks of documents to court.
We also have video conferencing facilities, such that lawyers do not always have to attend court to see the judge in person. For example, when I was a Deputy Public Prosecutor, I could sit in a certain office in my own building that was fitted with cameras etc, and electronically attend certain court proceedings at the courts. That was years ago. Nowadays I understand that I woulod be able to even electronically hop from one courtroom to another.
Nationally, the entire government is moving away from paper records of anything. See, in my country, every citizen has this cute little thing called an identity card with a microchip embedded in it.
If I go to a hospital, the nurse uses a reader to scan my identity card, and my medical records show up on her computer immediately.
If I go to the library, the librarian uses a reader to scan my card, and my borrowing records show up on her computer immediately.
If I get caught for speeding, the policeman uses a reader to scan my card, and my entire history of driving offences show up immediately.
And any government body that needs to know whether I'm married or not simply needs to scan my card. No need to dig up any paper records from some dusty shelf of some dusty cupboard in some dusty basement archive.