Liz Sacksteder Principal Drafter of New Rule Requiring Hyperlinks in E-filed Documents Within New York’s Commercial Division

The Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court will require the use of hyperlinks to cited docket entries in electronically filed documents under an administrative order adopted by the New York State Office of Court Administration on September 29. Litigation partner Liz Sacksteder, a longtime member of the New York Commercial Division Advisory Council, was the principal drafter of the hyperlink rule and has been a consistent advocate of the change.

The administrative order, effective November 16, amends Rule 6 of the Rules of Practice for the Commercial Division by, among other things, requiring legal memoranda to include hyperlinks to cited docket entries and permitting justices to require hyperlinks to legal authorities in appropriate cases. As the Commercial Division Advisory Council proposal noted, hyperlinks are “a great convenience familiar to even the most casual internet users” and will improve efficiency in proceedings. The case for hyperlinking is especially timely and compelling in the current environment, in which many judges work remotely without the benefit of hard copies.