New version of Legimonaco website launched

De gauche à droite, au 1er rang : Marc Bouvet, Directeur Commercial LexisNexis, Arnaud Hamon, Directeur des Affaires Juridiques ; S.E.M. Pierre Dartout, Ministre d’Etat ; Matthieu Hallaire, Directeur Général LexisNexis ; Frédéric Genta, Délégué Interministériel à l’Attractivité et à la Transition Numérique. Au 2ème rang : Dominique Mabin, Chargé de Mission à la Direction des Affaires Juridiques ; Jean-Laurent Ravera, Adjoint au Directeur des Affaires Juridiques ; Marc Vassallo, Secrétaire Général du Gouvernement ; Julien Dejanovic, Directeur des Services Numériques ; Laurence Garino, Chef de Cabinet du Ministre d’Etat Au 3ème rang : Rodolphe Heigel, Chef de Division à la Direction des Services Numériques ; Xavier Rauscher, Administrateur juridique principal à la Direction des Affaires Juridiques ©Direction de la Communication / Stéphane Danna

Launched in 2008, the official Legimonaco website, which is the government policy interface for the dissemination of Monegasque law, is undergoing some significant changes. Now with modernised ergonomics, new functionality and enhanced content, the new Legimonaco has been designed to improve the public’s access to law in the Principality while offering professionals a solid legal research tool that is in line with leading international standards.

The product of two years of development, in which a panel of users, including legal professionals, was involved, the modernisation of Legimonaco was completed under the leadership of the Prince’s Government Department of Legal Affairs by the legal publishing company LexisNexis France, working with the IT firm Coexya, with support from the Extended Monaco programme.

Arnaud Hamon, Director of Legal Affairs, who was behind the project and is the managing editor of Legimonaco, said: “The comprehensive redesign of the Legimonaco website based on a latest-generation digital tool marks a new stage in the increasingly effective dissemination and understanding of Monegasque law. Access to the law is vital in a democratic society; it is an integral part of the rule of law, something to which the Princes of Monaco, and particularly H.S.H. Prince Albert II, have always been very committed. It was with these principles in mind that intensive editorial and design work was carried out by the Department of Legal Affairs, drawing on a new approach to comprehending access to and research and consultation of public legal data.”

Better access to law for all

The new version of Legimonaco continues to ensure that the text of the Constitution, international treaties and agreements, Codes, consolidated laws and statutory instruments that are currently in force and a selection of case law from the courts and the Supreme Court are all freely available to the public.

Several sections have been completed, in particular the case law section which, in consultation with the Department of Justice, will include nearly 2,500 additional court rulings. Over the coming months, these will gradually be added to the more than 4,000 rulings issued by the Principality’s courts which were already made available in the previous version.

Above all, however, the new version of Legimonaco makes it easier and quicker for the public and legal professionals to access Monegasque law, thanks to new functionality including:
• a more powerful search engine which provides relevant autosuggestions combined with filters to refine the results displayed;
• the ability to consult the version of a legal rule which was current on a given date;

• the ability to have access to documents relating to the legal information being consulted, through automated links establishing gateways between the available content, for example between legislative and regulatory data, or between this data and case law;
• for laws, the ability to access a “legislative dossier” which groups together official documents from the various stages of the process of drafting the legal rule, from its creation to its adoption;
• optimised mobile access, enabling Monegasque law to be consulted from any device.

A benchmark tool for sharing Monegasque law to enhance the Principality’s attractiveness

Because the new Legimonaco website is also aligned with the digital transition policy, which is intended to be a driver of growth, this roll-out is part of the Government’s effort to promote the Principality’s attractiveness, by offering investors direct access to the legal rules under which their plans are likely to operate. Such knowledge of the legal environment is one of the primary factors taken into account by foreign investors when choosing where to establish their business.

“This version of Legimonaco seeks to meet the new expectations of all target audiences. The project reflects the goal of offering modern digital public services in consultation with users and providing a high-value-added quality of service: in this specific case, law which is accessible to all, whether in a private or professional context,” said Julien Dejanovic, Director of Digital Services.

Photo caption:
From left to right, 1st row: Marc Bouvet, Commercial Director at LexisNexis; Arnaud Hamon, Director of Legal Affairs; H.E. Pierre Dartout, Minister of State; Matthieu Hallaire, Chief Operating Officer at LexisNexis; Frédéric Genta, Country Chief Officer for Attractiveness and the Digital Transition.
2nd row: Dominique Mabin, Head of Section in the Department of Legal Affairs; Jean-Laurent Ravera, Deputy Director of Legal Affairs; Marc Vassallo, Secretary-General of the Government; Julien Dejanovic, Director of Digital Services; Laurence Garino, Chief of Staff to the Minister of State
3rd row: Rodolphe Heigel, Head of Division in the Digital Services Department; Xavier Rauscher, Senior Legal Advisor in the Department of Legal Affairs
© Government Communication Department / Stéphane Danna