Court system readies for mandatory e-filing

Early in 2016 the Illinois Supreme Court entered order M.R. 18368, which set the timeline for mandatory e-filing statewide. By July 1, 2017, e-filing of civil cases will be mandatory for the Illinois Supreme and Appellate Courts. Beginning January 1, 2018, e-filing of civil cases will be mandatory in all Illinois circuit courts.

In anticipation of these deadlines, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) hired Texas-based Tyler Technologies to roll out a centralized, statewide e-filing system. Tyler's Odyssey File & Serve platform is currently used in 19 states.

According to AOIC Director Michael Tardy, the unified e-filing system will increase efficiency and streamline the litigation process for lawyers and pro se litigants. Tardy says the decision to use Tyler was based in part on the company's success providing statewide e-filing for Indiana (a state half the size of Illinois) and Texas (a state twice the size).

He also says that SB 3162, signed into law on August 19, 2016 and now PA 99-0859, imposes court automation fees which will be used to get e-filing "up and running." Given that the court has set a hard deadline for compliance with its order, Tardy says that the court system will continue to find ways to make statewide e-filing a reality.

Find out more about mandatory e-filing, including why clerks of the Illinois Appellate Court are worried about the looming deadline, in the October Illinois Bar Journal.

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Mark S. Mathewson

Member Comments (2)

Long overdue, hopefully whatever new system is put in place will be a true unification of records, filings (with payment of fees, automatic notification to parties of record, and scheduling), and not simply a filing-only system layered over the circuit by circuit hodgepodge that currently exists.

Can you imagine the confusion if we had different forms and rules for each county for the state income tax? If you don’t want to hobble e-filing from the start, the state needs to adopt one set of court forms for the entire state. Individual county forms and rules must either be abolished or adopted state wide. It will happen one day. Let’s make it January 1, 2018.

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