SOQUIJ: Databases dedicated to Quebec law

Alexandre Di GiacobbeClient services advisor

October 25, 2012

PART I - PARTNERS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IN QUEBEC

• SOQUIJ’s mandate

• Reception and publication of judgments

• Services for the general public

PART II – VALUE-ADDED SERVICES FOR PROFESSIONALS

• Case law in Juris.doc

• Express newsletters

• Collections

PART III - PLUMITIFS: A HISTORY

• Court house ledgers

• Municipal court ledgers

PART I

SOQUIJ: AN OVERVIEW • Semipublic corporation since 1976• Incorporating statute (R.S.Q., c. S-20) OBJECTS

• Promote research• Process legal data• Improve quality and accessibility

RECEPTION AND PUBLICATION OF JUDGMENTS • Collection of decisions rendered by courts

• and by other bodies and administrative tribunals

COURTS

• The transmission and reception of judgments is a joint effort by the Quebec Department of Justice, the judiciary and SOQUIJ.

• More than 30,000 judgments a year.

• Over time, the procedure for transmitting and receiving judgments has been simplified and automated.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNALS AND OTHER BODIES

• Individual agreements with each body.

• Over 50,000 judgments a year.

• Transmission and reception procedures similar to those for the courts.

SERVICES FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC

PART II:VALUE-ADDED SERVICES FOR PROFESSIONALS

SELECTION RULES

Our team applies the following criteria when selecting judgments:

• A new point of law• A new departure in case law• Unusual facts• Substantial documentary information• A discussion of a specific social problems

From the By-law respecting the collection and selection of judicial decisions (c. S-20, r.0.1).

 

CASE LAW RESEARCH IN JURIS.DOC • Judgments are selected, classified, summarized and

published in the Juris.doc databases.

• Juris.doc databases are the first choice for precise and efficient legal documentation searches.

ANNOTATED CLASSIFICATION SCHEME

 • All of the databases feature a classification

scheme.• Most of the documentation SOQUIJ publishes is

categorized into subject headings.• The classification scheme is a valuable tool for

launching a search.

INDEX FIELDS

• Refine the scope of your queries to obtain results relevant to your issue.

• Developing search skills allows researchers to take full advantage of the features.

INDEX FIELDS (List of results)

EXPRESS NEWSLETTERS

• 20 specialized subjects• Product tailored to your needs• Daily or weekly email notices

COLLECTIONS:

In partnership with Wilson & Lafleur• Code civil du Québec annoté Baudouin Renaud• Alter Ego – Code de procédure civile du Québec

COLLECTIONS:In collaboration with the AAPI (Quebec freedom of information and privacy association)

A practical guide to information access and protection – an essential tool for information access professionals

PART III:PLUMITIFS: A HISTORY

How did users get information about cases?

COURT HOUSE LEDGERS

• Civil• Criminal • Statutory • Finance and Income

Searches by name, case number, or occurrence reports.

COURT HOUSE LEDGERS

PLUMITIFS: Municipal Courts

• Over 80 municipalities throughout Quebec.

• Information on prosecutions instituted in municipal courts (for example, under the Criminal Code, the Highway Safety Code, and municipal by-laws)

CONCLUSION

• SOQUIJ fulfills its mandate as a distributor of legal information to the general public by collecting the decisions of courts and tribunals and providing access to them through jugements.qc.ca.

• It fulfills its mandate as a publisher serving legal professionals by providing access to its databases and value-added services through AZIMUT.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE  

www.blogue.soquij.qc.ca/

www.youtube.com/user/soquij

www.facebook.com/SOQUIJ

www.linkedin.com/company/soquij

es.twitter.com/SOQUIJ

THANK YOU!

Have a great conference!