Electronic document flow in the field of justice in the digital economy

Introduction: digital data are becoming a factor that can influence the legal consequences of actions taken. The process of ‘digitalization’ in our state develops in two directions. One direction, ‘tactical’, implies the impossibility of ignoring the changes in the usual way of life associated with the inextricable connection of many routine operations with the use of digital technologies. There takes place a process of enhancing the digital environment, through situational legal regulation. Another direction, which can be called ‘strategic’, involves the development of an integrated approach with an indication of the development benchmarks and control points. The implementation of the ‘strategic’ direction presupposes the existence of a complex of effective legal instruments capable of providing the main task - making digital data a key factor for development in all areas of social relations. A specific feature of legal regulation in the digital economy is the emergence of a relationship between digital technologies, opening up new communication opportunities, and a system of legal regulators, providing the possibility of their use. Changes in the substantive branches of law caused by ‘digitalization’ of social relations cannot but influence the procedural relations designed to ensure strict compliance with the norms of substantive law. Procedural relations, as well as substantive relations, taking into account the achievements and possibilities of digital technologies, are undergoing a certain transformation: there are appearing new opportunities for the implementation of procedural rights and obligations; existing legal instruments are being filled with new content. At the same time, procedural relations, public in nature, have a strictly established sequence of actions, an algorithm suggesting the impossibility of implementing the ‘tactical’ direction in the ‘digitalization’ of procedural relations, since changes made to one of the stages and (or) the possibilities of procedural actions associated with the use of digital technologies at one of the stages inevitably entail systemic changes that ultimately affect the purpose of the proceedings - the correct and timely consideration of the case. Digitization of social relations cannot also occur without an assessment of the risk factors that may arise as a result of the introduction of digital technologies, which implies the need to construct a classifier of risks that affect the exercise of the constitutional right to judicial protection. Purpose: to categorize the potential for the application of digital technologies in procedural relations in terms of procedural consequences and thus distinguish between the electronic document flow in the field of justice and electronic justice. Methods: the methodological basis of the research was formed by the general provisions of the sciences of the civil process, constitutional process, and administrative process. The following methods of scientific cognition were used: dialectical, sociological. Conclusions: based on the research results, two criteria have been identified that make it possible to perform differentiation concerning the use of digital technologies in the administration of justice and thus distinguish between the electronic document flow in justice and electronic justice (e-justice). These criteria are the level of regulatory control over the use of digital technologies and the entity exercising its public powers through the application of these technologies. There have also been identified three groups of risks arising in the digital economy when accessing justice and in the administration of justice.