By Melanie Deeds
Legal News
Officials with Macomb County Circuit Court have a plan in place — and a signed agreement with a technology firm — aimed at making the court the first paperless state court in Michigan.
“Our vision is to use digital images instead of paper to conduct the court’s business, to store our data efficiently and securely, and to conduct business electronically with litigants,
attorneys and other units of government,” said Chief Judge David Viviano in a recently-released prepared statement.
ImageSoft of Southfield was recently selected to implement a document and process management solution to help the court reach its goal.
In addition to an enterprise content management (ECM) solution to consolidate all the court’s documents and information into a single, central repository, the ImageSoft iJustice solution will feature workflow for automating routine manual tasks, and technology to enable electronic filing, e-signature and e-certification.
“Macomb County has made a strategic decision to standardize on a single ECM platform,” said Steve Glisky, ImageSoft vice president and government practice manager.
Glisky said the court currently uses two ECM systems “which makes it difficult to share information.”
The future system, he said, “will centralize document control and processing into a single repository greatly improving communication and collaboration among all the parties involved in court processes.”
Under the system, he said, the clerk and court will be able to operate solely from an electronic case file where paper is no longer the norm but the exception. The end result, according to Glisky, will be improved efficiency and transparency while costs are reduced.
Viviano, who was just named to the Michigan Supreme Court, said the system “will launch our court into the digital age.”
The new setup will replace the court’s existing e-filing system which is incompatible with CourtView, a leading case management system.
Officials said project implementation is underway, with the initial scope including support for circuit court civil and juvenile case types, divorce without minor children and personal protection cases.
In 2011, the court launched a pilot e-filing program with a different company but, officials said, that program is incompatible with CourtView.
The court’s current e-filing system covers contract and negligence civil cases with Viviano and Judge John Foster.
Court officials said the new e-filing system, called TrueFiling, should be operating by summer’s end and could expand quickly to other cases and other judges.
Meanwhile, the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) last week selected ImageSoft’s TrueFiling platform as the Electronic Filing Manager (EFM) for a statewide eFiling initiative in Michigan.
Officials said the decision meant that a central EFM platform would soon be available to all courts throughout the state — including district, circuit and probate as well as the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.
“We’re excited about the implications for the legal community and the State courts; both parties will benefit from greater efficiencies, improved transparency and the enhanced access that TrueFiling provides,” said Scott Bade, ImageSoft president. “Moreover, the broader implications and benefits to the courts from having taken this step toward achieving a paper-on-demand environment are wide-reaching and invaluable.”
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