Part of the reluctance to change
is the lack of computer knowledge and with many judges and court staff having
little or no Internet experience in the courtroom. They find it difficult to
visualize how to use these technologies in their Courts Process.
The major obstacle to overcome
however is the fact that Judges are very effective at their piece of the
paper process. Judges are able to move through the stacks of paper very
quickly. Up to 90% of the judges work can be handled with a quick look at the
key document(s), a quick note of action or a signature, and a route to one of
the courts staff for further action. A judge can work through a large stack of
paper very quickly, and they don’t see all of the efforts in getting that paper
to them, and the back-end efforts in dealing with their notes. Additionally the
remaining 10% of their work may require detailed review of multiple large
documents which may not lend itself to viewing on a computer screen. Add to
this, reduced budgets and increased case loads, where the courts are busier
than ever. Bottom line is that any electronic process created for the judges
must be as fast as making a few notes on a piece of paper and passing it along
to someone else for action.
The Final hurdle to jump is
flexibility. I have found that even within a given county, each court is unique
in the way they do their work. Some courts take on tasks such as printing and
service activities while others pass that on to the Clerks Operation. Some
courts have specific titles and defined responsibilities for each staff member
while others spread all activities across equally trained and responsible
staff. Additionally, variations in the level of authority given to staff, and
the structure of judges to include Pro-Tem, Senior Judge, Magistrates, and
other court staff such as Facilitators in Mortgage Foreclosure Cases must be
supported in a manner that is flexible and yet easy to understand, and adjust.
Any E-Filing System being considered
should provide for these objectives of…
·
Speed for the Judges
·
Flexibility for the Courts Staff
·
Overall improved effectiveness in the court
filing process
Systems that do not meet these
objectives will not be fully accepted by the Judges and Court Staff.
The CourtFileNow System from eCourtSystems
Inc. was designed by a Judge. Over a period of many months, the Court
processing prototypes were tested and adjusted with input from the Judge and
his court staff to meet or exceed the speed, flexibility, and effectiveness
requirements.
Benefits of CourtFileNow
Along with all of the traditional
benefits that would be expected from an E-Filing System which include
ü Elimination
of paper files and all of the associated storage and access problems and costs
ü Reduced
printing, copying, handling and mailing delays and costs
ü Reduced
data entry due to storing and accessing previously entered data with the added
benefit of reduced errors
ü Seamless
integration with the Case Management System such that any update in the E-filing
System immediately populates the Case Management System, and Case Management
updates populate the E-filing System.
ü Immediate
notification and availability of any activity and information on a case to all
participating parties
ü Reduced
efforts in the creation and handling of financial transactions which are all
collected and distributed electronically
Benefits specifically for the Courts and Courts Staff
Speed for the Judges
ü Full
access to complete case information including full CCS history and all case
documents in as little as two to three clicks
o
Two clicks from a filing event in the judges
queue
o
Two clicks from the Judges daily calendar
o
Three clicks to search and view a case
ü File
using a proposed order used verbatim in as little as three clicks
ü Capability
to use and modify a proposed order
ü Capability
to rapidly switch from Court Calendar to Case Detail to Process an Order, or
Dispose of a Case or enter a CCS or Schedule an Event
ü One
Click routing or sharing of Case Filings with sticky note comments to any court
staff or the clerk
ü One
click viewing of Court Staff queues
ü Court
staff can complete filings up to the point of submission, then save the in
process filing for routing to the Judge for final review and submission
ü Rapid
capability to archive or un-archive one or multiple filing events from the
active queues
ü Rapid
search capability by Cause Number or by Party Name, or by Attorney Name
Flexibility for the Court Staff
ü Queues
for the work to be performed by the Courts can be established and customized
for each Court, for example, queues can be established by type of activity
required, such as triage and distribution of incoming filings, scheduling
activities, Motions for Default Judgments, Law Clerk activities, communication
to attorney firms, etc.
ü Staff
can be assigned to specific queues
ü Staff
can be assigned different responsibilities/titles and different levels of
authority, such as a Judge Pro-Tem, or signing authority for the judge, and
adjustments to these assignments can be completed immediately online
ü Court
staff has access to viewing other court staff queues
Overall improved effectiveness in the court filing process
ü Full
access to complete case information including full CCS history and all case
documents in as little as two to three clicks
o
Two clicks from a filing event in the judges
queue
o
Two clicks from the Judges daily calendar
o
Three clicks to search and view a case
ü One
Click routing or sharing of Case Filings with sticky note comments to any court
staff, the Judge, or the clerk
ü One
click viewing of Court Staff queues
ü Court
staff can complete filings up to the point of submission, then save the in
process filing for routing to the Judge for final review and submission
ü Rapid
capability to archive or un-archive one or multiple filing events from the
active queues
ü Rapid
search capability by Cause Number or by Party Name, or by Attorney Name
ü Court
staff can update the Case Management System from the E-Filing System
o
File Orders with CCS updates
o
Update Disposition
o
Schedule an Event
o
Add to the CCS
ü Route
a Court Filing to the Electronic RJO
