Modern justice for all with online civil claims

Every year, thousands of people and businesses use civil money claims to recover money owed to them, ensuring access to justice and promoting economic stability. Before 2018, the process was hindered by paper forms or a partially digital system, which led to delays, lost paperwork, human errors, and high costs.

Recognising the need for a more efficient, accessible, and user-friendly service, the government introduced the Online Civil Money Claims (OCMC) service. This digital service was created to help users, whether they are individuals, businesses, or legal professionals, resolve financial disputes easily and quickly. Whether dealing with unpaid invoices, undelivered goods, or contract disagreements, OCMC provides a streamlined, digital process from start to finish.

Between April 2019 and October 2024, more than 495,000 claims were made without legal representation, and over 162,000 of these were settled without requiring a court hearing. Additionally, legal professionals have made over 58,600 claims on behalf of clients using OCMC.

The OCMC service is designed to be user-centric, allowing real-time case updates through email notifications and a 24/7 dashboard, reducing the need for users to follow up during office hours. This system has made the process more efficient, with a higher response rate from defendants and increased settlements without court intervention.

For cases that require hearings, the OCMC service has also sped up the process. For example, the time from issuing a claim to receiving a directions order is now just over eight weeks, compared to 30 weeks for paper-based cases. This improvement has made it three times quicker to move forward with disputes.

The service has not only improved the speed and efficiency of the claims process but has also reduced the financial and environmental costs of using paper forms. Legal jargon has been replaced with simple, clear language, and the introduction of Welsh language options and an intuitive dashboard ensures that more people can engage with the system, regardless of their background.

With the redesign of the claims process, OCMC has expanded to handle larger-value claims, empowered legal advisors to give digital directions for smaller claims, and introduced MyHMCTS for legal professionals to manage various legal matters. Additionally, 'early adopter' courts were set up to test the system before a national rollout.

The digital transformation has seen significant progress, with more users responding to claims and an increased number of cases being settled. The shift to digital has been vital in providing a modern justice system for all, enabling faster, easier, and more accessible dispute resolution.