Often perceived to be a field which is largely insulated from modern technology, litigation now appears to be entering a period of change. Even as new entrants are offering innnovative and unique solutions in the field of litigation (such as EasyLaw), a software company based in Ujjain has developed and launched Short Causelist Service (SCS) which allows lawyers to receive personalised cause lists through an SMS.

Speaking to Bar & Bench Shantanu Dhanuka (pictured right) told Bar & Bench about how SCS works, the current market response thus far and his company's future plans.

A team of engineers led by CEO of M.R. Softwares, Shantanu Dhanuka, has developed and successfully launched the SCS which allows registered users to receive information on their cases via an SMS.

Dhanuka, a computer engineer from Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology in Navi Mumbai, had always harboured a passion for both entrepreneurship and software. After graduating in 2006, he worked for two years before branching out on his own with M.R. Softwares.

Initially launched as a solution provided to various busineses, it was only a chance conversation which led to the development of the SCS.

Dhanuka credits the idea of SCS to one Mr. Vivek Khemka, a practicing advocate in the High Court of Bombay. One day, while Khemka was relating the difficulties faced by lawyers in tracking down and compiling the next day's cause list, Dhanuka realised that he could use his technical skills to resolve this problem. “If we could provide a solution which could deliver this information to the advocate's mobile as an SMS, it would prove to be very handy”, recalls Dhanuka.It was this conversation and subsequent research and development by Dhanuka which eventually led to the creation of SCS.

The beauty of SCS lies in its simplicity. Dhanuka explains that the subscribers simply have to register their mobile numbers along with the name of the advocate appearing in the matter or the names of the parties. Once this is done, the subscriber shall receive an SMS on a daily basis with a list of cases matching the registered criteria.

So, for instance, a practicing advocate shall be sent an SMS containing his/her daily causelist while  a litigant shall be sent an SMS detailing the court room, judge and date when his/her matter shall be heard.

Dhanuka has initially launched the SCS in six high courts namely those at Bombay, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Jodhpur, Jaipur and Andhra Pradesh. Dhanuka also has plans to tap the Calcutta and Delhi market soon. The feedback received, Dhanuka says, has been used to evolve and adapt the SCS. For instance, the team found that the maximum number of errors were based on the incorrect spellling of either the lawyer's or the client's names. Hence, they tweaked the software to check for potential spelling errors and notify the user in case it appeared that the high court data entry operator had entered in an incorrect name.

Dhanuka admits that there are more than a few barriers in the way, including the reluctance of some lawyers to embrace modern technology. Lawyers in cities such as Delhi and Mumbai are far more open to such ideas, Dhanuka acknowledges, as compared to those in certain other cities. Other barriers are more technical in nature, such as the recent move by TRAI limiting the number of SMSs which can be sent on a daily basis.

The way forward, according to Dhanuka is further expansion and Dhanuka is setting an aggressive target. He plans to launch the SCS in every High Court in the country, incorporating the benefits of a 3G connection and eventually scaling up the SCS to serve litigants and lawyers in every district and high courts in the country.

Dhanuka also has plans to introduce two softwares targetting the legal profession: one, a software which helps conduct legal research and two, a “diary” which would help manage a lawyer's day-to-day schedules. Thus far, phase one of the legal resarch software has already been completed while the “diary” is still under development.

The SCS marks for an interesting convergence of technology and law and the benefits of this convergence are for all to see. However, whether these changes shall be accepted in a profession which is steeped in history and tradition is a question only time can answer.