ATTORNEYS of Trinidad and Tobago have still not received an allocation of vaccines.
This continues to cause delays in the provision of legal services to the general public, as many attorneys remain working remotely (at their homes) or have scaled back their practice to minimise contact with clients. All in the hopes of minimising the spread of Covid-19, while waiting for the Ministry of Health to deem lawyers essential enough to be worthy of the valuable layer of protection from the jab.
While we wait, here’s some of the latest pandemic developments in Trinidad and Tobago’s courts, in a nutshell:
Court hearings have resumed. In a pandemic practice direction issued in mid-May, all court hearings, even virtual ones, were halted until June 30, 2021. There were exceptions for matters such as domestic violence cases and other urgent matters. Court hearing have all resumed as normal now, but virtually. There remain no physical court hearings at this time, save in emergency circumstances where the interests of justice will not be served by an electronic hearing.
Time still does not run for the filing of documents. In its latest pandemic practice direction issued on June 30, 2021 parties automatically have more time to file documents required to be electronically filed pursuant to a court order or the rules of court. That’s because the period May 17, 2021 to August 3, 2021 is not be counted towards the period when the document must be filed. Parties remain at liberty to file their documents though, despite the cessation of the clock, so to speak.
In-person appointments to submit documents at the Probate Registry will resume from July 12, 2021. The judiciary has almost completely converted the system to apply for grants of representation for deceased persons (e.g., grants of probate) into an electronic one, with minimal in-person contact. While transitioning into this system, around late April 2021, the judiciary had halted in-person appointments at the Probate Sections of the High Courts. The anticipated date for resumption, limited for the purpose of submitting original documents, is July 12, 2021.
Filing fees waived until August 3, 2021. Every time an attorney files a document in a matter, it normally attracts a filing fee, ranging between $10 – $50 per document in most cases (civil matters). Since the pandemic began and electronic filings were introduced, filing fees have been waived. This continues to be the case until August 3, 2021.
Public Health Fixed Penalty fines can now be paid online with credit and debit cards. Fines in connection with Fixed Penalty Notices issued for failure to wear a facemask etc., could not be previously paid, as we all know. It appears the mechanisms have now been put into place and time will start to run from August 3, 2021 for the payment of these public health fines. But it appears that if you wish to pay your fine early, since July 1, 2021 you can do so using your debit or credit card on the judiciary’s CourtPay portal which can be found at the website: ttlawcourts.org. If you do not pay, see the latest pandemic practice direction No. 17, found in the Trinidad and Tobago Gazette No. 102, Volume 60 (available online) for the latest adjourned dates of the virtual hearings dates to challenge the tickets. They start from October 5, 2021.
Civil Litigation Attorney at Law & Certified Mediator.
Disclaimer:The contents of this article are for general informative purposes only. It does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader. For legal advice on your specific situation, please contact an Attorney-at-Law of your choosing directly. Liability for any loss or damage of any kind whatsoever allegedly incurred a consequence of using content in this article is thus hereby excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Latest Pandemic Developments in T&T Courts
ATTORNEYS of Trinidad and Tobago have still not received an allocation of vaccines.
This continues to cause delays in the provision of legal services to the general public, as many attorneys remain working remotely (at their homes) or have scaled back their practice to minimise contact with clients. All in the hopes of minimising the spread of Covid-19, while waiting for the Ministry of Health to deem lawyers essential enough to be worthy of the valuable layer of protection from the jab.
While we wait, here’s some of the latest pandemic developments in Trinidad and Tobago’s courts, in a nutshell:
Be safe Trinidad and Tobago.
Copyright © 2021 Neela Ramsundar, LL.B (HONS), L.E.C is a
Civil Litigation Attorney at Law & Certified Mediator.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for general informative purposes only. It does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader. For legal advice on your specific situation, please contact an Attorney-at-Law of your choosing directly. Liability for any loss or damage of any kind whatsoever allegedly incurred a consequence of using content in this article is thus hereby excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.