BarTalk February 2004
Volume 16, Number 1

The Law Society of B.C. has signed an agreement with the provincial government to provide certification services that will permit lawyers to file real estate transactions online.

“This is a significant, concrete step towards the implementation of the Electronic Filing System for B.C.’s land title system,” said Hon. Stan Hagen, Minister of Sustainable Resource Management. “It will benefit British Columbians by providing the professionals they hire equal access to the land title system no matter where they do business.”

Under the agreement, the Law Society, using its innovative Juricert™ secure registration and authentication system, will provide online verification of lawyers’ electronic signatures and professional status. This verification is an integral part of the Electronic Filing System, which will be in place by April 1, 2004, and will permit lawyers to file many types of land title documents online from anywhere in the province.

Lawyers registered with Juricert will have the necessary software to securely sign electronic land title documents. The documents can then be sent to the Land Title Office’s online system that will automatically verify that the document has not been altered and that the lawyer’s professional status is valid.

“The Law Society has been working with the provincial government for five years to develop a cost-effective, efficient Electronic Filing System for the Land Title Office,” said Law Society Executive Director Jim Matkin, QC. “Implementation requires an independent and reliable system for online certification of a lawyer’s digital signature and professional status. Juricert will provide that certification without making fundamental changes to conveyancing practice.”

“The electronic filing system will make land title transfer faster and more effective, and will provide equal access from all parts of the province,” Hagen said. “I thank the Law Society for this essential support.”

This article was published in the February 2004 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2004, all rights reserved.