NLA Introduces Simpler Legal Forms

To improve its customer service, the Land Titles Division of the National Land Agency (NLA) recently introduced simpler legal forms to assist customers in their application process.
Registrar of Titles and Director of Land Titles at the NLA, Alfred McPherson made this disclosure at a JIS Think Tank on January 28.
The simpler forms are intended to hasten the time for the average customer to complete his or her application for a title.
Noting the changes made to these forms, Mr. McPherson pointed out to JIS News that legal practitioners were mainly responsible for preparing the documents submitted to his company.
“What we have done is to take the documents as required by the statute of the law and sought to simplify these documents. We have left out the innovative legal language that has emerged over time and has become the accepted practice but is not really required by the law,” the Director explained.
He further noted that in simplifying these legal forms and also shortening them, “the rejection rate of documents will substantially reduce, because we would have specified exactly what we need to process these documents”.
Simplifying the legal forms used by their customers is part of the overall restructuring of the operations of the Land Titles Division. The company has also implemented a Land Registration System (LRS), which will largely, automate its operations and enable speedier transactions.
Mr. McPherson pointed out that although the legal forms were expected to be in use beginning January 2004, there would be a six-month transition period. He warned however, that persons using the old method, after the transition period, could find that their applications take a longer time.
The NLA recently hosted a series of sensitization seminars across the island with more than 350 practitioners about services to be derived from the LRS as well as the Parcel Data Management System that is being used by the Survey and Mapping Division to improve its operations.
The seminars were held in Kingston, Montego Bay, Clarendon and Ocho Rios. According to the NLA, participants at the seminars said they looked forward to the new process to improve the turnaround times of customer applications and to streamline the agency’s operations.