Justitia 4.0: Advances, Challenges and Developments at Vertec

The aim of the Justitia 4.0 project is to replace paper files with electronic files, and the exchange will take place via the justitia.swiss platform. Justitia 4.0 is a project commissioned by the Swiss Judicial Directors and the Judicial Conference. In future, lawyers will be able to exchange documents electronically with the judicial authorities.

As one of the leading KMS for lawyers, Vertec has been following the project since its inception. The development of the corresponding connection of Vertec to the justitia.swiss platform is already underway. The interfaces (API) for the connection of systems to justitia.swiss are only available for testing purposes. As of January 2025, Justitia has not yet defined and implemented them. As is customary in such agile software projects, adjustments are to be expected. We will apply these on an ongoing basis.

Initial tests have already been successful: Vertec has been able to exchange information and documents with the test platform in accordance with Justitia 4.0. The up-to-date project plan of Justitia 4.0 envisages pilot operation and further developments until the end of 2026. Existing and new Vertec customers can rely on this: Vertec will have a connection to Justiza 4.0 or the platform justitia.swiss once the test phase has been successfully completed by all parties involved.

What is Justitia 4.0?

Justitia 4.0 refers to the comprehensive digitization of the justice system in Switzerland. The aim is to optimize processes, facilitate access to legal services and make cooperation between different actors more efficient. The project includes the implementation of digital platforms to make the justice system future-proof.

What is the up-to-date status?

The full rollout of Justitia 4.0 is planned for 2027. Until then, the project is in an intensive pilot phase, during which various digital processes are being tested and further developed. Currently, development is at full speed to provide key functionalities that are essential for the smooth operation of the digitalized justice system. More information on the current status of Justitia 4.0: https://www.justitia40.ch/de/aktuelles/news

What challenges do we see at Vertec?

Despite the progress made, there are still key questions and challenges that need to be addressed before Justice 4.0 can be fully implemented.

One challenge is the user concept that has not yet been defined, which covers the needs of both individual lawyers and large law firms with several hundred lawyers. This raises the question of how access for assistants in a law firm should be regulated. It must be possible for different (individual) lawyers to have access to documents and features of justitia.swiss without a large law firm having to use only one Justitia account.

Example: Vertec and the user concept

Consider the example of Vertec: a large law firm does not want to use just one account for the entire firm, as this limits individual access and responsibilities of individual lawyers. In today’s analogue world, for example, the firm receives an envelope from the post office, someone opens it, checks the contents, and then passes it on to the appropriate lawyer. Similarly, in the digital world, it must be possible to define external users who can receive the “envelope” – i.e. digital documents and tasks – or forward them for processing.

This example illustrates the need for a flexible and secure user concept that meets the different needs of individual lawyers and large law firms. Such concepts have yet to be defined and implemented to ensure seamless integration with existing systems such as Vertec. Vertec is a law firm solution for both small and very large law firms, and we anticipate the different use cases accordingly.

Our conclusion

Justitia 4.0 represents a significant step towards a modern and efficient judiciary in Switzerland. While the rollout and full implementation are still a few years away, the progress made so far is promising. However, it remains important to actively address the existing challenges, especially with regard to integration with existing systems and the development of flexible user concepts.
When Justitia 4.0 is available to lawyers, Vertec will also be ready.