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Will Judges Have the Documents They Need?

A big conversion is happening in certain courts in Texas right now. The Supreme Court of Texas is mandating electronic filing (e-filing) in civil cases in district courts, statutory county courts, constitutional county courts and statutory probate courts starting January 1, 2014 to July 1, 2016 (see mandatory e-filing requirement deadlines by county size).

E-Filing Requirements Bring Many Benefits to Filers and Courts

The mandate will bring benefits to filers and the courts (read complete list of benefits). Filers will be able to submit court documents online and have their filing fees automatically calculated when submitting. In addition, filers will get a stamped copy of the clerk’s acceptance along with filing status updates via email.

Courts, clerks, and judges will benefit by being able to receive and review documents online within minutes rather than days. Payments of fees will be automated to decrease errors, increasing staff efficiency and productivity.

Electronic Filing and Paper Documents

While the end benefits of Docket #12-9208 are exciting, there are many challenges on a project of this size. The major problem with moving to e-filing is not the new electronic documents coming into the system; it’s providing the complete case file to the judge including electronic files and paper documents. Many courts are talking about waiting to scan paper documents when the cases go to court. While conceptually this sounds fine, below are some questions to help you think through the process.

• How will your staff take on the additional responsibility of scanning and maintain their normal job?
• How do you train your staff to title, categorize, prep, and validate case files efficiently?
• What additional equipment will you need?
• How long will it take to scan a case file?
• Will you we need additional people to manage scanning? If so, how many additional workers will you need and how will you manage them?

Contact Us for a Complete Line of Document Services

Southwest Solutions Group® can help you understand and prepare your court to manage electronic and paper documents so judges will have the documents they need. In addition, we provide a complete line of document consulting and information services to pick and choose from, including backfile document scanning. In fact, you can try our backfile document scanning services for FREE! All of our information services are available on GSA, TXMAS, and NJPA purchasing contracts. For more information on preparing to meet the Texas court e-filing requirements, call us at 1-800-803-1083 or send us a message.