CaseLines in the Superior Court of Justice – Quick Tips

Below are quick tips for using CaseLines in Superior Court of Justice cases. More detailed information is available on the Superior Court of Justice Website at: https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/caselines/cl-guide/

Only upload to CaseLines documents which have been filed with the Court.  For filing, refer to the Notice to the Profession, Public, Parties and Media.

1, Register
2. Invitations
3. Logging onto CaseLines
4. Inviting other lawyers or legal assistants or third parties into your case
4.1 Access to Subsequent Events 
4.2 Removing Case Access for Counsel 
5. What to Upload
6. Naming Uploaded Documents
6.1 Changing the Order of Your Documents 
7. Hyperlinking documents uploaded to CaseLines to external websites
8. Hyperlinking to sections within the same document (i.e. bookmarks)
9. Hyperlinking two or more documents uploaded to CaseLines to one another
10. Page Numbering
11.How to upload your documents to CaseLines
12. Uploading draft orders and forms with fillable fields to CaseLines
13. Accessing virtual hearing details
14. Refer the judicial official to a specific page in your materials
15. Orders and Endorsements
16. Help

1.    Register

Register as an Ontario CaseLine’s user at https://ontariocourts.caselines.com/. Avoid emails going to your junk folder by making CaseLines a trusted sender. Save “@caselines.com” in your list of email contacts.

2.    Invitations

You will receive an invitation for your matter from noreply@caselines.com. If you have not received an invitation 5 days prior to the hearing, contact the court office or opposing counsel and ask for an invitation to be sent.

3.    Logging onto CaseLines

Once logged on, find your case by selecting View Case List. The Case Filter box allows you to search for the case name or hearing date. Find the correct event “bundle” (folder) for your hearing and upload documents.

4.    Inviting other lawyers or legal assistants or third parties into your case

Counsel: If other lawyers or legal assistants need to upload or view documents in CaseLines, ensure to invite other professionals to your case in CaseLines.

Self-represented litigants: If you are a self-represented litigant and require sharing your CaseLines case with a third party (such as mediation services), you may invite these parties into your case in CaseLines. Self-represented litigants should exercise caution to ensure they are only providing CaseLines access to third parties for the purpose of the court proceeding. If you do not see the “Invite New Participant” option, you can reach out to the court office so that staff can enable this permission on your account.

To invite lawyers, legal assistants, or third parties into your case:

  1. Locate the case (found on your “View Case List” screen).
  2. Select the Update Case
  3. Select the “People” tab found in the case file.
  4. Select “Invite New Participant”.
  5. Enter the participant’s email address and their role (if they do not already have a CaseLines account)
  6. Select all the items listed under Bundle Access.
  7. Review the options listed under Access Permissions Select only the options appropriate for the person you are inviting. 
  8. Select all the items listed under Emails.
  9. Once you click “Invite”, an automated CaseLines email will be sent to the person containing a link to the case.

You can view a short how-to video here. An additional walkthrough of inviting participants to a case can be found here.

4.1 Access to Subsequent Events
If your case was previously created in CaseLines but you are preparing for a new hearing or conference within the same case, court staff will provide you access to a new bundle (folder) 5 days before your new hearing date. You are responsible for providing administrative staff or third parties with access to any new bundles that have been created for subsequent hearings.

To provide someone access to new bundles when they have already been invited to a case:

    1. Locate the case (found on your “View Case List” screen).
    2. Select the Update Case.
    3. Select the “People” tab found in the case file.
    4. Find the name of the person you want to have access to the new bundle.
      1. Tip – press the “Ctrl” and “F” buttons on your keyboard. Your internet browser will pop up a box. In this box, type the last name of the person you’d like to have access to the new bundle. CaseLines will bring you to that name on the page so you don’t have to scroll.
    5. Find the name of the new bundle next to that person’s name.
    6. Check off the box next to the new bundle name. That person will now have access to the new bundle.

4.2 Removing Case Access for Counsel

If you are counsel who has been removed from the record and are no longer representing a party in the case, you may remove yourself from the case through your CaseLines account. Please ensure that you have followed appropriate processes Similarly, lawyers may wish to remove law clerks, legal assistants, or junior counsel who are no longer working on the case. If you do not see the “Remove Case Access” option, you can reach out to the court office so that staff can enable this permission on your account.

  1. Locate the case (found on your “View Case List” screen).
  2. Select the Update Case button.
  3. Select the “People” tab found in the case file.
  4. Find the name of the person you wish to remove.
  5. Select Remove Case Access.

That user’s access to the case will be removed in the system.

5.    What to Upload

You must upload into CaseLines:

  1. Every document you have filed with the court in respect of the hearing or conference, except sealed documents or un-redacted affidavits for the removal of a lawyer;
  2. A factum with hyperlinks to cases on CanLII, or where no factum is required filed, a list of authorities with hyperlinks to cases (not copies of the cases);[1]
  3. A completed Participant Information Form;
  4. Any previous orders and endorsements;
  5. In civil and Divisional Court cases, a compendium linking to portions of cases and evidence to which the party intents to refer during the hearing or conference;
  6. If there are to be any exhibits, each exhibit uploaded separately and saved with a descriptive name (the Registrar can only add one electronic exhibit stamp per document);
  7. Draft orders; and
  8. Affidavits of service must be uploaded in family cases. In civil and Divisional Court cases, they should only be uploaded if service is contested, or proof of service is necessary for determining the matter.

For criminal cases, see the Notice to Profession, Parties, Public and the Media for a list of documents prohibited from being uploaded in CaseLines.

6.    Naming Uploaded Documents

To upload into CaseLines, you must save your document using the Court’s Standard Document Naming Protocol by indicating:

  1. Document type (including the form number in family cases);
  2. Type of party submitting the document;
  3. Name of the party submitting the document (including initials if the name is not unique to the case); and
  4. Date on which the document was created or signed, in the format DD-MMM-YYYY (e.g. 12-SEP-2021).

6.1 Changing the Order of Your Documents 

Your documents should be ordered in CaseLines in a way that is consistent with the sequence outlined in any practice directions. The Court’s practice directions can be found here: https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/practice/

When uploading more than one document at the same time: you can control the order in which they appear by adding a number to the beginning of the document name (i.e. 1. Factum – Respondent Smith – 01-JAN-2021).

When uploading subsequent documents that should be placed between previously uploaded documents: you should use the “insert” function in CaseLines to ensure the documents are uploaded without impacting the CaseLines page numbers of the documents you previously uploaded. See Tip 9 in the SCJ CaseLines Guide for more detailed instructions on the “insert” feature: https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/caselines/cl-guide/

 

7.    Hyperlinking documents uploaded to CaseLines to external websites

Hyperlinks in documents that point to external websites will remain active after the document is uploaded to CaseLines (e.g., linking a factum to caselaw on www.canlii.org). Use the hyperlinking function in your word processing software.

8.    Hyperlinking to sections within the same document (i.e. bookmarks)

Internal hyperlinks (bookmarks) pointing to a place within the same document will remain active after the document is uploaded to CaseLines. For example, a table of contents in an abbreviated book of authorities can be linked to each of the authorities within. Use the bookmarking function in your word processing software.

9.    Hyperlinking two or more documents uploaded to CaseLines to one another

Following the procedure below, you can prepare your documents so that links between them will remain active after uploading to CaseLines. This procedure is much simpler than creating hyperlinks between documents that have already been uploaded.

We will use the example of linking a factum to a trial record. Follow these steps:

  1. Save your factum and trial record as one document.
  2. Create a bookmark or heading for each document in the trial record that will be linked from the factum. Name the bookmark using the Standard Document Naming Protocol (g. Statement of Defence – Defendant – Loblaws Inc. – 13-MAR-2023).

To apply first level bookmarks in Adobe:

  1. Select the area in the PDF file that will serve as the destination for the new bookmark.
  2. Click on the “Add Bookmark” button.
    • The new bookmark will either be named “Untitled” or will contain the text that you selected.
  3. Ensure this bookmark is a top-level bookmark.
  4. Use “Rename Bookmark” so the title of the bookmark is consistent with the Court’s naming protocol referenced above. CaseLines will use the title of the bookmark as the document title after upload.

See a short video:  Prepping Bookmarked Documents in PDF.mp4

To apply Heading 1 bookmarks in MS Word:

  1. Type the name of the document using the Court’s naming and numbering protocol referenced above. CaseLines will use the title of the bookmark as the document title after upload.
  2. In the “Home” tab, find the “Styles” feature.
    • Select “Heading 1”.
  3. The name of your document will be formatted as a heading. This will enable CaseLines to recognize what is under the heading as a distinct document and separate it after upload.
  4. You can use the “Acrobat” tab to convert your Word document into a PDF. Converting your document from Word format to a PDF will retain the first level bookmarks you applied and the links you created between documents.

See a short video:  Prepping Bookmarked Documents in Word.mp4

  1. Add links from the factum to each bookmark/heading in the trial record.
  2. Upload the document into CaseLines using the “Upload bookmarked PDF into a single section” option. (This process can sometimes take several hours for the documents to appear in CaseLines.)
  3. View the list of documents in CaseLines and see that the bookmarks/headings that you applied in the trial record have been created as separate documents. All the links you applied from the factum to the trial record will be retained, even though the documents have been separated by CaseLines.

The above process is particularly important for linking affidavits to multiple exhibits. Exhibits must be displayed as separate documents in CaseLines so that court staff can apply a unique electronic exhibit stamp to each one.

10. Page Numbering

If you are applying your own page numbers in your document creating software, do not use the top or bottom right corner for your pagination. CaseLines will use the top and bottom right of the page to apply its autogenerated page number.

11. How to upload your documents to CaseLines:

To upload your documents to CaseLines:

  1. Find your case and select the Update Case
  2. Select the “Upload” tab.
  3. Ensure the bundle selected is the correct bundle you want to upload your document into (either the event bundle, the Pleadings bundle, or the Orders and Endorsements bundle). If the incorrect bundle is selected, select “Select Bundle” to choose the appropriate one from the dropdown list.
  4. In the “Select Section” field, ensure you select the appropriate section to upload your document(s)
    • Select “Upload File(s)” if you are uploading documents that do not contain links to other documents that are also being uploaded.
    • Select “Upload bookmarked PDF into a single section” if you are uploading documents that you have linked to other documents also being uploaded (see part 7 above for information on how to properly format these types of documents for upload).
  5. Once you select the appropriate upload option, select “Add Files” and choose the file(s) you want to upload. If uploading multiple documents, ensure you number them so that CaseLines uploads them in the appropriate order.
  6. Select “Start Upload”. Depending on the size of your file, it may take a moment for your documents to appear in the case in CaseLines.

12. Uploading draft orders and forms with fillable fields to CaseLines

You should include draft orders with your materials so the judicial official can access it directly through CaseLines.

You can also upload documents with fillable fields, such as the Trial Management Plan under Rule 76.

Draft orders and forms with fillable fields should be uploaded in Word format so that the judicial official can easily access and provide the appropriate authorization on it. You should ensure all documents in Word format are not password protected prior to uploading them to CaseLines.

13. Accessing virtual hearing details

To access the video conference link through CaseLines:

  1. Log into CaseLines and find your case.
  2. Select Update Case.
  3. CaseLines will open your case on the Case Home
  4. Select the Video Conference Link
  5. CaseLines will open a new tab on your web browser that will take you to the virtual hearing room. The Meeting ID and Passcode will also be available on this page.

14. Refer the judicial official to a specific page in your materials

Through the “Review” screen, you can direct the judicial official and other parties to a specific page in your material during your hearing or conference. There are two ways to do this:

  1. Provide the judicial official or other parties with the CaseLines-generated document and page number (e.g., B17). Once provided with the page number, access the “Find” tab at the top of the screen. Select “Find page” and type the CaseLines-generated page number. Press Enter on your keyboard, and CaseLines will take you directly to that page.
  2. You have the option to immediately direct everyone to a specific page during your hearing through the system. To do this, access the “Find” tab at the top of the screen and select “Direct others to Page”. Using this feature will send a message to all other parties that they can be taken to that specific page. Before selecting “Direct others to Page”, you must ensure “Lawyers, Judges, Court Staff” is selected. You can tell if this option is selected if there is a checkmark in the icon. If there is no checkmark, select the “Lawyers, Judges, Court Staff” button before selecting “Direct others to Page”.

15. Orders and Endorsements

Any orders or endorsements resulting from a hearing using CaseLines will be distributed to parties directly through CaseLines. Once the order or endorsement has been signed, the Court will upload it into the Orders and Endorsements bundle in your case using the following naming protocol: Endorsement – Pre-trial – Justice ABC – 04-MAR-2022. You will receive an email from CaseLines when the order or endorsement has been uploaded.

You can download the order or endorsement directly from CaseLines in two ways:

  1. From the “Review” screen:
    • Ensure the selected bundle is the “Orders and Endorsements” bundle;
    • Click “Download” at the top of the screen;
    • Select “Download Document”
  2. From the “Update” or case file screen:
    • Click on “Index” at the top of the screen
    • Click “Select Bundle” to choose the Orders and Endorsement bundle;
    • Find the order or endorsement and select the “PDF” button.

Using either of these options will download a PDF version of the order or endorsement directly to your computer.

16. Help

A complete list of CaseLines guides is accessible at the following website: https://www.thomsonreuters.ca/en/caselines/ontario-courts-support.html.

For assistance with technical issues, please contact Thomson Reuters technical support at 1-800-290-9378 and select either “CaseLines”, “Case Center” or “Evidence Sharing” when you reach the directory, or email decsupport@thomsonreuters.com. Support is available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Monday to Friday).

If you are a self-represented litigant, the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Court Services Division is now offering telephone support. Please dial 1-800-980-4962 or 647-438-0403 and select option 4 for CaseLines support or email your questions to info.CaseLines@ontario.ca.

If you are counsel, the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) offers training, hands-on tools, and services to assist lawyers and firms in making the transition to using CaseLines. The OBA has partnered with Thomson Reuters in order to receive the training and test environment necessary to help support members of the bar. To learn more about these training packages, visit: https://www.oba.org/Professional-Development-Resources/Caselines/Case-Training-Options.

[1] Hyperlink to caselaw on publicly available online sources (such as CanLII). CaseLines will retain hyperlinks to external websites after your document is uploaded. Where these hyperlinks are provided, it is not necessary to file Books of Authorities. For caselaw that is not available online, an abbreviated Book of Authorities should be provided to the court.