Norfolk clerk wants computerized, not paper, documents
George Schaefer, the circuit court clerk in Norfolk, VA understands the benefits of efiling:
* save $2 million on the cost of building a new courthouse if he gets rid of the volumes of paper warehoused in the circuit court.
Besides the storage challenge, he points to other disadvantages of paper files:
* None of the files has a backup--one lit cigarette poses a hazard to the entire historical record of the city.
* Only one person at a time can use them. Clerks spend work time tracking down case files or transferring them from one holding area to another. They often must transfer information from paper to the statewide court computer system anyway.
Other advantages of efiling include:
* Off-site backup. No lost files.
* Multiple users can access the same file at the same time.
* Computerized records could make the courthouse a 24/7 operation.
Schaefer said no one would be turned away from the courthouse, even those who arrive with a handwritten complaint for a lawsuit.
"We'll scan it," he said. "Even the digital divide will never be an impediment to allowing people into the courthouse."
Those who need paper copies of documents will still get them. They also will have the option of receiving a copy via e-mail, Schaefer said.
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Would it not make more sense for courts to move more quickly to accept electronic filing of documents rather than continuing to accept paper and then scan the paper?
Most documents filed into courts today are created electronically...then they are converted to paper to file with the court....then many courts convert them back to digital via scannning.
