Helpful Tips for Using CaseLines: Straight From the Court

CaseLines is being used in most court proceedings in Ontario. It is a technology that many counsel struggle with using. In the decision Bowman v Uwaifo, 2022 ONSC 678, Justice Myers provides advice on using CaseLines.

Below, I have summarized his recommendations in point form.

1. Know the CaseLines page number for all documents uploaded to the platform. Counsel and litigants are expected to refer the court to documents using the page numbering in CaseLines. “All you have to do is tell the judge, ‘please go to page A100 or B-1-189’ and the judge can open the correct page in seconds with no scrolling through long PDFs”.
2. You can also use the “Direct to Page” function to send everyone else a pop-up window to let them know where you are.
3. If you want to manage your presentation, you can use the “Presentation” features. “This was the first time counsel utilized the Presentation features of CaseLines in a hearing before me. Mr. McKechney took over all of our computers and took us to pages on CaseLines as he was making his submissions. It was as if I was watching a PowerPoint presentation on my computer being controlled by Mr. McKechney”.

Advocacy is the art of persuasion. Being proficient with CaseLines helps the judge follow your argument. This in turn helps advance your client’s position.