Why Singapore Lawyers Still Pay for Printing in Digital Court Cases

Singapore’s courts receive civil-case documents electronically, but filing a document and using it at a hearing are different steps. A trial may still involve printed bundles for witnesses, counsel or the court, depending on the proceeding and the directions that apply. 17

When are hard copies needed?

Civil trial materials can include affidavits of evidence-in-chief, bundles of documents, opening statements and, where relevant, bundles of legal authorities. The judiciary says witness trial bundles may be supplied either in hard copy or electronically. A party using a hard-copy bundle of authorities must produce it at hearings where it is required. None of this means every electronically filed document must also be printed. 71231

The answer can change with the proceeding. Supreme Court directions provide for hard and soft copies in certain civil appeals, and the court may direct parties to tender hard copies. Where documents cannot be filed before a hearing, counsel may seek permission to use paper documents during it. Lawyers therefore need to check the applicable practice directions and the court’s instructions for the particular case, rather than assume a uniformly paperless—or paper-only—process. 11314

Why can the bill be so large?

The practical drivers are the volume of material and the number of physical sets needed. A short, largely electronic matter may require little printing; a document-heavy trial or appeal can involve substantial bundles. CNA reported that printing in a Bloomberg defamation case exceeded S$35,000. That figure illustrates what can happen in a particular case, not what a case in any given court normally costs. 47

Court level matters because proceedings and directions differ, not because there is one fixed printing price for a High Court or State Courts case. Nor should printing be confused with electronic filing charges: the judiciary lists filing fees and electronic filing charges separately for civil trial documents. 1521

Who prints, pays and potentially recovers the cost?

A law firm may arrange the copies, while a litigation-management company may help prepare trial bundles. The Law Society distinguishes lawyers’ professional fees from disbursements—out-of-pocket expenses that include photocopying charges. Those expenses are ordinarily charged to the client as part of the legal bill. 732

In a civil case, a party with a costs order may seek reimbursement of disbursements from the other party. But a client’s bill and the amount recoverable from an opponent are not necessarily the same. Party-and-party costs may be fixed or assessed, and a Bill of Costs can include disbursements incurred in the case. Recovery depends on the costs order and the amount allowed. 323840

Will printing costs disappear?

Electronic bundles can reduce the need to print, and Singapore’s courts already use them alongside electronically filed evidence. But witness bundles may still be paper, and court directions still contemplate hard copies in some circumstances. Further digitisation could lower printing costs; the available guidance does not establish a date when they will reach zero. 1724