How to Prepare for Mandatory e-filing in Illinois
On January 22, 2016, the Illinois Supreme Court announced mandatory electronic filing (“e-filing”) for all civil cases for the Illinois Supreme, Appellate and Circuit Courts going into effect January 1, 2018.
What is e-filing? Electronic court filing, or e-filing, is the process of filing court pleadings over the internet using an automatic, electronic transmission.
Why is it important? As more courts and legal systems have or are currently converting to e-file applications, it is important to not only understand the system and what is expected as a practicing attorney but also the benefits of e-filing. In addition to limiting the paper in your office and in the courthouse, e-filing eliminates the hassle of taking pleadings to the court to file, it reduces the amount of time you wait for documents to be processed by the court, allows for easy searching of documents over the internet, and reduces the cost of paper, ink and other supplies necessary to paper file documents. E-filing is especially important for firms that have multiple locations or are involved in an out-of-state case.
As e-filing gains momentum there are tips to assist in the transition.
- Learn it before you have to and train multiple people in your firm on the system.
- Establish policies for your firm regarding the use of e-filing.
- Discuss the change and any implications with your accounting department in regards to payment of statutory or other court fees.
- Use a hard line or high-speed internet connection and if needed a high-speed scanner.
- Set up your personal account to receive service and to perform necessary searches before you need them.
To learn more about the PohlmanUSA’s MyDocFileServe™ system currently in use in Madison County, IL, please visit http://pohlmanusa.com/online-web-apps/mydocfileserve/ or contact the PohlmanUSA Litigation Support Technology team at 877-421-0099.
