These rules, which come into force on 27 February 2017, amend the High Court Rules 2016 (the principal rules) by revoking subparts 15 and 16 of Part 5 on 1 March 2017.
Subparts 15 and 16 of Part 5 will be inserted in the principal rules (by section 183(a) of the Senior Courts Act 2016) on 1 March 2017 and come into force on that date. They provide for lawyers and law firms to file documents in the High Court electronically (to e-file) subject to the documents meeting certain requirements and the lawyers or law firms being registered to e-file. However, the systems necessary for implementing these provisions will not exist on the 1 March 2017 commencement date. These rules therefore have the effect of removing subparts 15 and 16 of Part 5 and, as a consequence, the right to electronically file documents that those subparts would otherwise confer, as soon as the subparts come into force.