E-filing pilot project

An electronic document filing system (e-filing) is under development in the Wisconsin circuit courts. The Consolidated Court Automation Program (CCAP) has been conducting a pilot project for small claims money debt collection actions in Washington and Kenosha counties since 2005.

The technology for this project represents a significant advance over the electronic filing systems used by other courts. The system is fully integrated with the existing CCAP case management system and is expected to create significant efficiencies for court offices and litigants. The electronic filing system is designed to be phased in over time, eventually becoming available for all types of circuit court cases.

The e-filing pilot project is working well from the perspective of the clerks of circuit court and court commissioners. Cost savings have already been realized because staff are not required to create paper court files, manually enter case information into the CCAP case management system, mail circuit court forms to the law firms, or receive and file paper documents for these cases.

On the law firm side, enhancements have been added to allow firms to pay the filing fee electronically, allow attorneys to review the complaints more efficiently, give the firms access to the electronic documents through the court Web site, and add small claims forms that are less frequently filed. Other debt collection firms and other counties may be added during the extended pilot phase.

CCAP has devoted significant programming time to the pilot project. More time will be needed to add each case type, along with ongoing costs for enhancements, customer support, and maintenance. To ensure that the courts have adequate resources to support these technology needs, the Director’s Office has requested the authority to charge a fee for e-filing, as part of the court’s biennial budget request.

New court rule proposed

In anticipation of the possibility that electronic filing will be extended to other case types, a court committee has submitted a permanent e-filing rule to the Supreme Court for consideration. The rule provides a procedural structure for voluntary exchange of electronic documents between courts, attorneys and self-represented litigants. This rule is proposed as part of Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 801, the general rules of procedure and practice.

The proposed rule will be heard by the Supreme Court in the fall of 2007. Comments on the proposed rule may be submitted to the Clerk of the Supreme Court, 110 East Main Street, Suite 215, Madison WI 53701-1688. View the report of the e-filing committee and the proposed permanent rule here.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has adopted an interim rule governing those lawyers and litigants participating in the pilot project. It is currently in effect until June 2007 and may be extended until the end of the year. View the interim rule here.

For more information regarding the rules, contact Marcia Vandercook at marcia.vandercook@wicourts.gov or (608) 267-7335.