electronic Filing & Service for Courts

Beaver County, PA...get's it!

This article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette describes how Beaver County is implemeting electronic filing in their civil court.

The "keys" to success:

1) Web Application...built by a 3rd Party (LexisNexis File & Serve at no cost to the Court)
(eliminates the need for new hardware if you have relatively new equipment, an Internet browser and broadband connection to the Internet)

2) A Judge/Clerk who understand that to get the benefits they are looking for...you have to make it mandatory

3) Realization that scanning digitally created documents...is not a good use of time or resource

3) Attorneys who understand their time is valuable and electronic filing saves time, which saves their client's money; the time saved can be used by the attorney for other clients. Other benefits: see this for a recent post on the subject

Congratulations to the Judiciary in Beaver County, PA....a judiciary who is using technology like the rest of the world!

The whole world uses technology more than the judiciary

From Fla. Litigators' Frustrations Rise Over Delays in Complex Cases

The Task Force on Management of Cases Involving Complex Litigation in Florida acknowledged a consensus among trial lawyers that complex cases tend to linger for years at the pretrial stage.

One of the solutions came from: "Lawyer Peter R. Siegel, a partner in the Fort Lauderdale office of Greenspoon Marder, said that state courts could adopt measures that are already employed in federal courts. Those methods include setting complex cases on a separate track, providing firm trial dates and pretrial deadlines and increasing the use of technology.

For instance, Siegel said, the federal judiciary's electronic filing system -- which allows pleadings to be filed and reviewed electronically -- can save time for all the parties involved in a complex case.

Scherer agreed with the need for state courts to embrace technology. "The whole world uses technology more than the judiciary," he said.

LexisNexis File & Serve Launches First Integrated Online Destination for Paper and Electronic Filing and Service

New Site Rolled Out in California First

MONTEREY, CA, October 05, 2006 - As adoption of new technology spurs a steady increase in electronic filing and service of legal documents in the American legal system, courts and attorneys still primarily use paper to facilitate their filing and service needs.

To offer litigators more convenience and control within this evolving landscape, LexisNexis U.S., a leading provider of information and litigation support technology and services, today announced it has strategically expanded LexisNexis® File & Serve capabilities to provide attorneys the first and only one-stop online destination enabling attorneys to execute paper filing, paper service, service of process, electronic filing and electronic service. The new site means litigators can manage all their filing, service and service of process needs in one easy-to-use online location and via one vendor regardless of jurisdiction and whether paper or electronic filing is required.

Announced as LexisNexis participates in the California State Bar Association annual meeting in Monterey this week, the new paper-based capabilities complement existing electronic filing and service options that have been available via File & Serve since 1995. The new functionality is initially available in California for filings to any court in the state, service between law firms and service of process upon case parties or witnesses. File & Serve will extend the service to additional states in 2007.

The new File & Serve capabilities will also be offered as part of LexisNexis® Total Litigator – beginning with California courts. Total Litigator is the only single, online destination offering litigators a comprehensive set of tools and services to manage cases at each step the litigation process.

"We believe our new capability is a ‘game changing’ milestone for filing and service because it simultaneously recognizes the prevalence of paper and the increasing use of electronic filing to offer litigators a single, convenient method to more efficiently manage all their filing and service needs regardless of format," said Tobias Hartmann, vice president and managing director for LexisNexis File & Serve. "This new offering exemplifies the LexisNexis Total Practice Solutions strategy of helping attorneys win by providing them with the most complete set of litigation support tools possible – mapped directly to how they work."

"The new File & Serve is intelligible, efficient, economical and far more timely than normal attorney services," said Mary Anne Tay Donaldson, librarian at the LA office of Washington, DC-based law firm Arnold & Porter LLP. As the first client to use the new File & Serve paper filing capability, Donaldson also said, "Lawyers have very high standards and this service is the epitome of quality service with greater control and accountability throughout the entire filing and service process – an ‘intelligent bargain.’"

The broad jurisdictional coverage of the new offering means attorneys with cases in California courts may now upload documents to the File & Serve site and select delivery options such as same day or next-day courier delivery, next-day FedEx, or U.S. Mail. Additionally, File & Serve automatically arranges the appropriate filing or service method – electronic or paper – based on court rules and requirements to ensure attorneys are always in compliance with court orders.

These functions minimize risk of incurring fees or filing or serving past deadlines, while the overall increase in efficiency helps firms grow their business by minimizing time and expense spent on filing and service issues.

For paper filings, File & Serve Litigation Support Centers, located near courts, are staffed with experienced professionals who print and assemble filings in compliance with all applicable court rules and deliver them via LexisNexis courier the same day. In cases where e-filing or e-service is required, File & Serve delivers documents electronically in compliance with court rules. Where electronic delivery is optional, attorneys have the choice of selecting the method they would like to use. As with electronic filing and service, firms charged a standardized transaction fee for each use for paper delivery.

"Law firms no longer need to feel ‘nickeled and dimed’ by disparate attorney services firms who cannot offer the streamlined process, predictable pricing, convenience and geographic coverage that File & Serve now can with unified paper and electronic filing," said Hartmann.

File & Serve is a customized Internet-based service that provides electronic and paper delivery of public and sealed documents filed with the court and exchanged between attorneys. The service is paid for with transaction fees, so there is no charge to courts. File & Serve is used by more than 70,000 court personnel and legal professionals nationwide who file, serve and manage an estimated 21 million documents annually into more than 1 million cases.

"eFile" or "eServe" in California: This is How it Works

CA -- Paper Filing/E-service trans. (5 min)
5 MINUTE TRAINING RECORDING ON "PAPER FILING & E-SERVICE"

(demonstrates paper filing to the Court and eservice upon recipients involved in an e-serve case)

View now >> Click and follow instructions

California: "eFile & eServe" in ALL Courts Introduced

EMAIL ME FOR MORE INFORMATION

Call it the "last mile" before actual electronic filing. LexisNexis File & Serve has introduced a new service in California that allows lawyers to "efile" into any state or federal court in California; and allows lawyers to "eServe" any party in California and place Service of Process orders for California, the rest of the nation or worldwide.

Orders are entered via a web interface; documents are uploaded and LexisNexis File & Serve takes it from there. The filer or server get an electronic acknowledgement or proof of servicce and are able to track it to completion via the web. It also provides access to the 'case file' of sorts.

Get added convenience and increased control over managing and monitoring filing, service, service of process and associated costs. And get the broadest jurisdictional coverage available for California state courts and beyond.

Coverage
Single-vendor coverage across all California courts

Convenience
One convenient method for managing all of your California filing, service and service of process:
* One method for managing all California filing & service needs (paper or electronic)
* File a summons & complaint and execute service of process online
* File subsequent documents and serve all counsel in one online transaction
* Place service of process orders for anywhere in California, or worldwide (investigation and translation services available)
* Easy online access to all of your documents, filing receipts and proof of service
* Firms with multiple California locations can use one website to manage document delivery and online access to documents & other case information

Control
More control over document delivery with online submission and status updates
* One secure, easy-to-use website for submitting documents for delivery, regardless of the format the court requires
* Easy monitoring of the status of all document deliveries via update emails and online status details
* Experience and expertise to deliver documents on-time and in compliance with court rules & requirements statewide
* Courier delivery through Litigation Support Centers located nearby courthouses throughout the state

And improved cost management & recovery of costs:
* Predictable, flat-rate pricing—no surprises when you receive your invoice
* Consolidated, client/matter coded monthly invoices

10 Great Tips for Successfully Implementing eFiling: #10

10. FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Start now! Too many projects are delayed by unnecessary impediments. There is no perfect project plan, and there are no perfect solutions. The sooner the court implements e-filing the sooner the judicial and legal community will realize the benefits. There will be time to make adjustments and changes, and your e-filing can serve as a model for other court technology efforts. It is a “gateway” project that delivers digital documents to the court, improves access to information, and streamlines the intake process.

Thanks to: Travis Olson is the national director for LexisNexis® File & Serve Implementation. He has advised courts and attorneys across the country on how to implement e-filing and has successfully implemented projects in several states. Olson is also an attorney.

10 Great Tips for Successfully Implementing eFiling: #9

9. ONGOING EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION IS CRUCIAL TO SUCCESSFUL E-FILING.

Evaluating an e-filing implementation requires looking critically at what is happening in the project and making a judgment about its value, worth, or benefit. Evaluation is important because it can indicate:
• How the implementation is going.
• What effect it is having.
• What changes we need to make to improve it.
Often people involved in the project can feel threatened by the thought of evaluation as it may suggest criticism by others. However, the essence of evaluation is not to lay blame or fault on people, but to find ways of doing things better and to show what has gone well. Evaluation is a positive process and should involve those who will be impacted. Not all metrics need to rely on external monitoring and instead can be built into the normal workflow. That way those involved in process can be involved in measuring its success and making corrections where necessary. Also remember that different stakeholders may have different expectations or interests to be met or preserved. And make sure to include your external users where appropriate, such as attorneys, paralegals, and law firm secretaries in the evaluation.

Thanks to: Travis Olson is the national director for LexisNexis® File & Serve Implementation. He has advised courts and attorneys across the country on how to implement e-filing and has successfully implemented projects in several states. Olson is also an attorney.

10 Great Tips for Successfully Implementing eFiling: #8

8. WEIGHING THE DECISION TO BUILD OR TO WORK WITH A VENDOR.

While the federal e-filing system is a government owned and run operation, state jurisdictions face a different environment
— lacking the resources and sometimes the skills to develop and manage a multimillion dollar complex enterprise application. In reviewing state e-filing projects, it appears that based on the number of registered users and number of documents filed and served, those states that contract for an Application Service Provider (ASP) model are the most successful.
Court IT organizations are increasingly partnering to meet their technology project needs instead of building their own applications. Driven by the need to deliver new technologies faster, the risk of project failure, and the increasing rate of change in technology, court administrators and clerks of court face significant risks when building their own systems.
To help assess the scope of the projects, there are generally nine steps to which you should assign costs when weighing the decision to build in-house, acquire a system, or work with an ASP. These steps include: initiation, planning, research, evaluation, development/implementation, operation, support, maintenance and upgrades. It is suggested that you weigh all options against these factors before proceeding.

Thanks to: Travis Olson is the national director for LexisNexis® File & Serve Implementation. He has advised courts and attorneys across the country on how to implement e-filing and has successfully implemented projects in several states. Olson is also an attorney.

LexisNexis File & Serve Surpasses One Million Online Cases

Major Milestone Indicative of Market's Acceptance and Growing Adoption of Electronic Filing by Courts and Litigators

DAYTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2006--LexisNexis U.S., a leading provider of information and services solutions, announced today that a significant milestone was reached this month by its electronic filing division. LexisNexis® File & Serve surpassed one million cases in its electronic filing and service system.

LexisNexis File & Serve is an Internet-based service provided to courts and law firms to enable the electronic exchange - filing and service - of legal documents such as complaints, pleadings, exhibits and proposed orders. By surpassing one million cases online, LexisNexis File & Serve demonstrates the continued acceptance and growing adoption of electronic filing in the market by the courts and, in turn, litigators.

"This is a very important milestone for the courts as well as litigators because it is one more indication that e-filing and e-service are becoming mainstream with the courts and the legal industry," said Michele Vivona, vice president and general manager, LexisNexis Litigation Services. "With support for a wide range of case types - from large multi-party complex litigation like asbestos, to smaller two-party cases like domestic relations - LexisNexis File & Serve is clearly a leader in the e-filing field."

LexisNexis File & Serve gives courts and law firms greater control over case file management. With a robust and secure infrastructure, LexisNexis File & Serve provides improved access to case documents and streamlines the intake process. Online clerk review and judicial action improve court operations, while the online document repository enhances care, custody and control. Law firms benefit from improved document access, automated case monitoring, and the elimination of the physical delivery of paper.

"Over 67,000 judges, clerks, attorneys and other legal professionals nationwide have been registered to use LexisNexis File & Serve," said Robin Castro, vice president, LexisNexis File & Serve. "They file and or serve about 17 million documents each year through LexisNexis File & Serve, and we believe that no other provider comes close in the number of subscribers and transaction volume.
"We expect continued, steady growth in the number of electronically-filed cases as well as the addition of more district and appellate courts around the country and internationally," added Castro.

10 Great Tips for Successfully Implementing eFiling: #7

7. FOUR KEY CRITERIA TO HELP EVALUATE YOUR CURRENT INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE.

Successful implementations of electronic filing must meet four IT criteria: 1) the system must be “scalable,” enabling a multi-phase e-filing implementation to progress smoothly as the total number of users and cases increases; 2) the system must be reliable and available 24/7 for filing; 3) support for the internal users, external users, and technical support for the system must be available 24/7; 4) the system and infrastructure must be secure so that care, custody, and control of the documents can be maintained as well as the privacy of sensitive information.

Thanks to: Travis Olson is the national director for LexisNexis® File & Serve Implementation. He has advised courts and attorneys across the country on how to implement e-filing and has successfully implemented projects in several states. Olson is also an attorney.