Context
The project is part of the strategy to modernise administrative courts within the Paperless Justice programme. This initiative aims to simplify and secure interactions between administrative courts and the parties (lawyers representing a citizen or a company and the ministries/administrations). In recent years, the number of accelerated procedures, particularly those related to immigration law, has increased significantly, creating organisational pressure on the courts. This situation highlights the limitations of traditional paper-based processes and of the legacy application.
The project addresses these challenges by enabling the full digitalisation of a case’s lifecycle, from the submission of an application/legal procedure by a lawyer to final archiving, supported by a new JA.GUAR platform (new back office and usage of the national portal MyGuichet.lu). Development of the structured data and document electronic exchanges, automatic document generation, and the creation of a shared digital workspace for magistrates should reduce administrative processing times, improve traceability, reduce human administrative error and deliver more value-added service (consolidated file for the lawyers, case status, …) but does not help to reduce procedural activities (hearing, decision, …) By modernising internal practices and facilitating procedures for end-users (lawyers, ministries/administrations, detention centre), the project aligns fully with the operational improvement and use-centric approach.
Objectives
The project addresses structural needs and delivering concrete digital solutions. The first objective is to establish a fully electronic case file that improves efficiency and ensures long-term sustainability. To achieve this, the data model was expanded to include document metadata and key procedural information that previously appeared only in court decisions and could not be used for reporting. Submission processes were re-engineered through the national portal MyGuichet.lu, where each legal procedure is now guided by a digital assistant helping lawyers enter structured data, upload evidence, and trigger electronic transmission. National registries (streets, localities, business register) were integrated to improve data quality, and users were encouraged to use original electronic documents instead of scans. The second objective is to enhance operational efficiency. MyGuichet.lu now checks data before submission to ensure higher consistency. The platform is also being connected to the new JA.GUAR back office to eliminate manual copy-paste of data and documents. The enhanced data model enables automated document generation, advanced search, and complete business reports; recommendations were also issued to ensure PDF/A documents suitable for long-term archiving. The third objective is to improve the user experience by providing online case status and a consolidated digital case file for lawyers by 2028.
Implementation
The project was designed and implemented through institutional cooperation between the Administrative Courts, the Ministry of Justice and the national IT centre (Centre Des Technologies De L’information De L’Etat – CTIE), ensuring alignment with the Paperless Justice (JUPAL) programme. The governance relied on a joint steering structure combining judicial, legal, and IT expertise, with magistrates, registry staff, and IT representatives actively involved in decision-making and validation.
Implementation followed an agile and phased approach over a six-year road map. Resources were allocated progressively, combining internal and external CTIE staff (project managers, business analysts, and developers) with targeted expertise. On the judicial side, judges, registrars, and business analysts contributed directly to functional design and testing, ensuring operational relevance.
Key stakeholders, lawyers, and the Ministry of Immigration were consulted through iterative deployments and feedback loops. External communication actions were coordinated through Guichet.lu, training and judicial website to prepare users for new digital procedures. The legal framework enabling mandatory digital exchanges was developed in parallel with the Ministry of Justice to secure sustainability and legal certainty of the implementation.