by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Despite the mediocre results of an electronic filing system’s trial run, Clerk of Court Jim Fuller is continuing to work towards the goal of a paperless system.
“My ultimate goal is to do electronic filing,” said Fuller. “My goal as clerk is to do as much electronically as possible.”
Fuller said the ideal system would allow attorneys to pay for filing services or for law firms to have escrow accounts set up to handle service fees, creating virtually no need for paper.
“We’re working hard on it all the time,” he said.
A 90-day trial run of electronic filing, however, led participants to discontinue the project. The trial period involved asbestos cases handled by Chief Judge Donald Moran. His judicial assistant, Mary Lou Martinson, said the electronic filing system didn’t save her any time, and in fact, created more work for her.
“The biggest problem was that every time I had to file an order, I would have to go through six different steps to get the original filed with a clerk and sent to all opposing counsel,” she said. “Also, the same order can apply to 30 different cases, so there should be a master file.”
Fuller’s main problem with the first system is that it didn’t cut the paperwork for his office.
“A file that came to me electronically still had to be printed and filed as paper,” he said. “Until we get a case management system, things still work just like you were at my counter.”
Accordingly, the next step in the process is finding a company that can create a case management system so that files can be stored and sent electronically.
“We’re looking at a couple of companies right now, possibly a third,” said Fuller, adding one of the companies, both of which are national, has worked with several clerks, and the other has been hired by Lee County for similar work.
“I’m going down [to Lee County] in a couple of months to see how their system works when it’s up and running,” he said.
Fuller said he’ll look for a company that has a history of constantly upgrading its technology.
“It will make it easy for us to add on to our system since new things are developing every week,” he said.
Even with the clerk’s office concentrating on a new system, converting from paper to electronic filing is not a process that will happen overnight.
“It’s not as easy as just saying we’re going to do it,” said Fuller.
One issue to resolve is how attorneys will retrieve files, because many contain sensitive information.
“That’s one of the things we’re looking at,” said Fuller. “Certain cases, like juvenile cases, can be ruled private by a judge. We’ll have to figure out how to get them access while keeping in mind social security numbers, account numbers and adoption and divorce cases.”
It may also be hard for those using the standard method of filing to adapt to operating without the hard copy of an order in hand.
“It kind of makes you nervous,” said Martinson, who has been with Chief Judge Moran for 11 years. “But like any new thing, you have to work through the glitches. I’m not opposed to trying it again, and I know Judge Moran is not. I just think they should bring it to a simpler level.”
Fortunately, Fuller said he has a dedicated staff helping him plan the paperless way to the future.
“There are a lot of smart people over here,” he said. “We’re getting input and looking at everything to figure out the best way to do this.”