Wisconsin eFiling Update
Mandatory eFiling begins July 1 in the Court of Appeals
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has unanimously approved a petition to begin a comprehensive system of electronic filing for the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.
In the Court of Appeals, eFiling will become mandatory for attorneys on July 1, 2021. As of that date, all new cases and all new documents in pending cases must be filed through the appellate eFiling system. Attorneys that have pending cases in the Court of Appeals will automatically be opted in by July 1. An email notification confirming participation in eFiling will be sent from eFileSupport@wicourts.gov.
The appellate eFiling system is built on the model of circuit court eFiling and will look and feel familiar to attorneys and staff. Attorneys will use the same log-in information to access cases and can toggle between the circuit and appellate court systems.
The core changes needed to implement appellate eFiling are adopted as new Wis. Stat. ยง 809.801. This section is built on the circuit court eFiling rule and is parallel in structure, language, and procedure. The goal is to provide a consistent experience for filers in terms of both rules and technology.
The Court also made a number of changes throughout the Rules of Appellate Procedure, Wis. Stat. ch. 809, to take full advantage of the efficiencies that electronic documents have to offer. You can see the rule changes here.
The revisions to chapter 809 include:
- the notice of appeal, docketing statement, and statement on transcript are served electronically using the circuit court eFiling system
- duplicate filings in the circuit courts and Court of Appeals are eliminated
- the record on appeal will use the circuit court document numbers
- printing and service of briefs and appendices are eliminated except for copies served on self-represented parties
- current requirements for document appearance (margins, fonts, spacing, pagination) are updated
- the certifications for briefs and appendices may be electronically signed as a single document
- electronic briefs may include bookmarks and hyperlinks for the convenience of the court
- there is no additional eFiling fee for appellate eFiling
No date has been set to begin mandatory eFiling in the Supreme Court. The court is currently converting a few select cases from paper to electronic to test the software and adjust internal procedures. Once testing is nearing completion, the Court will set an implementation schedule. Until then, the requirement to file both electronic and paper copies of briefs is still in effect in the Supreme Court.
For more information, please explore updated information on the appellate eFiling section of the Court System website. For questions, contact the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals at (608) 266-1880 or at clerk@wicourts.gov.
Reach out to us!
Our knowledgeable staff is here to assist you. If you have questions along the way, call us at 1 (800) 462-8843, chat with us, or email us at eFileSupport@wicourts.gov. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @ CCAP_Wisconsin!