Electronic court filing allows attorneys to upload documents and attachments directly to the clerk’s office website, saving time and reducing billable hours. Security measures, such as encryption and limited access to login information, are in place to protect sensitive information. Availability and rules vary by court, and it is important to consult the website before submitting documents.
Court e-filing is a relatively new way for attorneys to file documents more easily and quickly than filing them by fax, mail, or hand delivery. Using electronic court filing, attorneys can draft documents on computers, but instead of printing the documents, the documents are simply uploaded along with any attachments directly to the designated website of the clerk’s office. Using this faster method, fewer billable hours are spent filing documents, leaving more time for attorneys, secretaries, and paralegals to work on the case.
Lawyers who wish to file documents electronically must obtain a username and password, helping to secure the system. All files sent through these systems are encrypted to prevent hackers from viewing personal information in documents. After using electronic forensic archiving, the computer sending the documents will receive a message that the documents have been received by the archiving system. Security is very important for legal documents due to the sensitive nature of the information contained in many of them.
All documents filed with the courts require the signature of the lawyer; with electronic court filing, the login information serves as the attorney’s signature on the document. For this reason, the availability of the lawyer username and password should be very limited to avoid abuse. Login information may be shared with paralegals and secretaries, but the attorney should monitor the account very closely when sharing login information. Your username often remains valid even if you change your attorney’s name, move to a new law firm, or change your email address. The attorney can change personal information, such as email address and physical address, usually through the website or through the court clerk.
As more and more courts use and implement electronic filing systems, judicial electronic filing is not available everywhere. The court website or the clerk’s website usually shows the availability of such systems and the rules regarding their use. Usually, the attorney will need to register on the website to start submitting documents electronically. It is suggested that you consult the website before drafting any documents to ensure that such documents are formatted correctly in accordance with court filing rules. Electronic court filing provides the opportunity to file anytime, day or night and any day of the week, unlike paper filing which requires the clerk’s office to be open and accept documents.
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