Announcing the 2007 Top Ten Court Website Awards
JUSTICE SERVED® 2007 Top 10 Court Website Award winners are chosen from nearly 4,000 court websites this year to bring you the ultimate models of court online services in the world. This year, half are repeat winners who have returned with refreshed websites that set a new standard of excellence. New and previous winners represent a wide variety of case types. Congratulations to all who made it to this year’s list – it is an exceptional feat that is deserving of praise for quality customer service and commendable access to justice. Check the links below for past winners and our evaluation criteria. As an added bonus, this year we are also providing an extended narrative on the state of court websites based on our observations of the trends. This report will be available as a download here.
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Evaluation Criteria

THE SUBORDINATE COURTS OF SINGAPORE www.subcourts.gov.sg Various jurisdictions in Singapore have consistently rated at the top of this list, but the Subordinate Court is a two-time winner that sets a new high with this revamped site. The aesthetically pleasing, functional navigation delivers top-notch e-court fare such as e-filing and traffic citation payments through a citywide ATM network. But they take things to the next level with RSS feeds, podcasts, a blog, Virtual ADR, E-Judge Think Tank, and Justice Online Meeting Services. They even have a font size adjustment to make this terrific site easy on the eyes.

COURTS AND TRIBUNALS IN VICTORIA – AUSTRALIA http://www.courts.vic.gov.au This is an impressive portal to the seven court jurisdictions serving this south eastern state in Australia and its capital city of Melbourne. E-court services include e-filing, online calendars, extensive case search capabilities, solicitor electronic data interchange, online fine payment and a commendable “fairer and firmer” compliance program. They even offer online court appointments. Back in 2000, the County Court won this award, but this combined site earns Victoria a return visit to the winner’s circle.

THE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA courts.phila.gov This repeat winner from 2005 keeps adding new features to warrant an encore performance. Previous e-services include traffic citation payment, online calendars, e-filing and file retrieval, but now graduate to RSS feeds, attorney Intranet, and even PDA-enabled content.

CLARK COUNTY COURTS (NV) http://www.clarkcountycourts.us It is all too easy for court customers in Las Vegas to get confused trying to access court services among the various justice agencies in Clark County. This portal not only brings these jurisdictions under one roof, but makes the interface very user-friendly. Regardless of which agency provides the online service, visitors are provided a one-stop shopping experience to find traffic ticket payment, e-jury services, case retrieval and online forms.

NORTHERN IRELAND COURT SERVICE www.courtsni.gov.uk This site has for-fee records search, online calendars and a cool small claims e-filing service, but two distinctions earn this site an award — first, is well-organized online education application, and second is a “standards of service” pledge for website service performance.

CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (FL) http://www.hillsclerk.com This is an excellent interactive site serving the Tampa area that excels in several ways. It is well organized, ADA-compliant, features text sizing, and offers live online chat and a blog. The “how do I find” pull down menus are a great way to easily locate online records search, pay traffic citations and even pay (and track) child support.

NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS COURT www.ncbusinesscourt.net This specialized court is a commendable concept in which complex civil litigation throughout the state may be ordered to Business Court, or requested by the parties to be assigned here. The court has three different locations and offers an array of in-court technology support, as well as e-filing, e-service of process and videoconferencing.

QUEENSLAND (AUSTRALIA) E-COURT http://www.ecourts.courts.qld.gov.au This state serves north eastern Australia and its capital city of Brisbane. The e-court website is the technology front door to the six Queensland court jurisdictions that offers e-records search, e-calendars and a description of their e-courtroom for complex litigation. Nearly all of the court locations offer free wireless Internet access.

CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT, MARICOPA COUNTY (AZ) www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov This prior winner from 1999 has completely reorganized its site with improved navigation to offer e-filing, records search, and a whimsical characterization of their electronic court records initiative called “The eVentures of E-diana Jones.” The “How do I” menu display and file folder organization are very effective; the child support payment history is top-notch service.

SELF HELP SUPPORT http://www.selfhelpsupport.org A repeat winner from 2004, Self Help Support is a virtual treasure trove of over 1,800 items, checklists, resources and program descriptions from exceptional self help operations worldwide. The interactive content includes listservs, practitioner networks, an e-newsletter and webinars. “Borrow” their list of helpful websites for the self represented as a great reference tool.