If you are part of a legal team, it is important that all team members register for an individual Case Center account.

• To register:

1. 1. Select “Register” from the top right corner of the homepage.
   2. Complete all mandatory fields on the registration form. Please ensure that the email address entered is accurate.
   3. Upon submission, you will receive a verification email. Follow the instructions in that email to activate your account.

• Once verified, you may log in by selecting “Log On” at the top right corner and entering your username (or email address) and password.
• Upon login, an acknowledgement notice will appear. This notice contains important information regarding your obligations when using Case Center. Please read it carefully.

You can view this short video for more information on logging into your account:

You can find your case in two ways:

1. Email

• • When a case is created in Case Center for your matter, you will receive an email with the subject: “Ontario Courts have granted access to the following court case.”
  • The email will come from casecenter-noreply@thomsonreuters.com. Make sure to save “@thomsonreuters.com” in your list of email contacts to mark Case Center as a trusted sender.
  • If you have received an email inviting you to a case, click the link provided and upload the documents you will rely on for your hearing. Documents must be uploaded promptly after service or as soon as practicable after you receive the invitation to the case.

2. Directly through Case Center

• • Login to Case Center and select View Case List. The “View Case List” page provides a list of all the cases you have access to in the system.
  • If you have multiple cases, the Case Filter box can be used to locate a specific matter. The Case Filter box provides two options for filtering cases:

1. 1. 1. Hearing Date From / Hearing Date To – these fields can be used to look for a list of cases on a specific date or within a specific date range.

• • • Use the calendar icon next to each field to choose the hearing dates you wish to search within, then select “Apply Filter”. Case Center will filter the list of cases so that only cases with hearings within that date range appear on the page.

Tip – If you want to search for cases on one specific date, make sure to use that same date in both fields. This will ensure Case Center only returns a list of cases that had a hearing on that date.

1. 1. 2. Case name/reference– this field can be used to search for a case using one of the party’s names as it appears in the title of proceeding or the 6 digits of the court file number if you have been provided with one.

• • • • Type a party’s name as it appears in the title of proceeding or the 6-digit file number, then select “Apply Filter”. For example, if the case is “Lawrence v. Smith”, you can type “Smith” into this field to have Case Center filter the list of cases so that only cases with the word “Smith” appear on the page.

Tip – If using more than one word to search (e.g., if the party is a company named “12345 Ontario Ltd.”), make sure to select the “All Words” checkbox. This will ensure that Case Center will only bring back results that contain all the words you’ve typed into the field.

If the parties in a matter have a commonly used last name, it is beneficial to search by both party names. Case Center will use all phrases you’ve typed in the “Case name/reference” field only if the “All Words” checkbox is selected. For example, typing “Lawrence Smith” into the field without the “All Words” option will have Case Center bring you all cases with either “Lawrence” or “Smith” in the results.

Tip – To search by court file number, you can use the 6 digits of the court file number in the “Case name/reference” field. For example, if your court file number is “CV-16-256365” you can type “256365” into the Case name/reference field. You must ensure the “Search by exact phrase” checkbox is not selected in order to load your results.

After you receive access to your case, you may get additional emails from Case Center with your case name as the subject line. These emails are automatic alerts sent to parties when a “change” occurs in a bundle.

“Changes” refer to when something is uploaded to a case, such as when a party uploads a document into their section or if the Court uploads an order or endorsement following the event. These emails are sent from casecenter-noreply@thomsonreuters.com to the email addresses of all parties with access to the bundle. Staff provide this notification feature to parties when they are first invited into the case file. Counsel and parties should save @thomsonreuters.com as a safe sender in their email settings.

For self-represented persons without access to the necessary technology, assistance is also available through the court filing office or with the Accessibility Coordinator at the courthouse where your case is being heard. Contact information for accessibility coordinators may be found here.

Counsel can provide other professionals access to their cases in Case Center. If you are counsel to a matter, please invite your administrative staff to Case Center if they are responsible for uploading your client’s material. It is the responsibility of the counsel listed on the document accepted for filing to invite other legal professionals on their team to the case. This includes all junior counsel, legal assistants, clerks, students, or administrative professionals who will be required to upload or view documents.

Self-represented persons may wish to invite third parties such as mediation services into their case. Self-represented persons should exercise caution to ensure they are only providing Case Center access to third parties for the purpose of the court proceeding. If you are a self-represented litigant and 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 professionals to your case in Case Center:

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 Case Center 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 Case Center email will be sent to the person containing a link to the case.

You can view a short how-to video here: https://training.thomsonreuters.ca/media/1_mjd6e27n

In criminal matters, Case Center access will be limited to the judiciary, court staff, Crown and defence lawyers and their legal staff. No criminal matters involving self-represented persons will use Case Center.

Counsel are prohibited from inviting their clients/accused persons to access Case Center. Counsel are required to make other arrangements to share documents, as appropriate, with their clients.

If your case was previously created in Case Center 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.

If you are the moving party and you have not received a Case Center invitation to upload your documents, you must contact the court office and ask for the invitation to be sent. You are responsible for providing administrative staff or third parties access to any new bundles that have been created for subsequent hearings.

To provide administrative staff or third parties access to new bundles in 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.
   • Tip – Pressing “Ctrl + F” buttons on your keyboard will bring up a search box on your browser where you can type the last name of the person you’d like to have access to the new bundle. Case Center 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.

Counsel who have been removed from the record and are no longer representing a party in the case may reach out to the court office to remove their access to a case. Counsel may wish to remove bundle access for law clerks, legal assistants, or junior counsel who no longer require access to the case.

To remove a user’s access to bundles in a case:

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. Uncheck the bundles next to the person’s name.

That user will no longer be able to access the case as they do not have access to any bundles.

Any orders or endorsements resulting from a hearing using Case Center will be distributed to parties directly through Case Center. Once the order or endorsement has been signed, the Court will upload it into the Orders and Endorsements bundle in your case. You will receive an email from Case Center when the order or endorsement has been uploaded.

You can download the order or endorsement directly from Case Center 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”.

1. 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.