Electronic service of documents now available for Circuit Court proceedings

On 25 September 2018, S.I.  No. 378 was signed into law and this came into operation on 17 October 2018. This S.I amends the Circuit Court rules to allow for electronic service of court documents, where there is consent from the parties to the proceedings. This brings the Circuit Court up to speed with the Superior Courts, where electronic service has been in action since November 2017 as per S.I. 475 2017. To avail of service of documents in this manner, the plaintiff’... On 25 September 2018, S.I.  No. 378 was signed into law and this came into operation on 17 October 2018. This S.I amends the Circuit Court rules to allow for electronic service of court documents, where there is consent from the parties to the proceedings. This brings the Circuit Court up to speed with the Superior Courts, where electronic service has been in action since November 2017 as per S.I. 475 2017. To avail of service of documents in this manner, the plaintiff’s solicitor shall endorse on the Civil Bill the email address where documents can be sent to. The defendant’s solicitor will state on their Appearance that they consent to receipt of documents by email and they will also provide their email address. The same rules apply for a plaintiff suing in person or a defendant appearing in person.  These rules will make it easier and more efficient to serve documents, which will be helpful for practitioners and lay litigants alike. A copy of the new rules can be found here.