Johannesburg and Pretoria High Courts get wi-fi facilities

Following the successful uptake in the Cape High Court last year, LexisNexis South Africa, in partnership with Law Credit recently launched a Wi-Fi facility in both the Johannesburg and Pretoria High Courts. Equipping the courts with wi-fi internet connectivity, the installation will allow visitors to access the Internet via a wireless connection, and legal professionals will now be able to access their subscribed My LexisNexis research platform accounts.

The launch of the Wi-Fi facility in the Cape High Court in August 2011 has been deemed a success, with professionals and visitors able to connect via laptops, tablets, cellular telephones and all other electronic devices with wireless connectivity features. Visitors simply need to purchase data bundles and follow the step by step instructional material, visible throughout the corridors of the court, which explains the connectivity process to users.

Access to law reports

Increasing productivity in the High Courts around South Africa, Johannesburg and Pretoria form part of the second round of implementation of the Wi-Fi facility. Providing significant value to all visitors, the Wi-Fi facility will in particular benefit legal professionals who can now access their My LexisNexis accounts, an online research platform for the legal industry, to view law reports and statutes whilst at court.

"Significant usage of our online research products via this network is a good indication that our subscribers are making use of this service and that it is beneficial to them. The launch at the Cape High Court last year was met with great enthusiasm, and as such we are able to continue our intention of delivering this much-needed service across the country," says Billy Last, CEO of LexisNexis South Africa.

Need to develop legal industry

"Stakeholders at the Johannesburg and Pretoria High Courts have long seen the need to assist in developing the legal industry as a whole, and in this case through online connectivity. Working with the Department of Justice over the past year, we have been able to acquire the necessary permission to deliver these facilities to two more courts across the country. We look forward to continuing to support the needs of legal professionals by remaining committed as the leading content provider," says Last.

The facility is currently available at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, Western Cape High Court, KwaZulu-Natal High Courts in Pietermaritzburg and Durban, and the Durban Magistrates' Court.