TMCnews Featured Article

When computers became a part of our daily lives, we thought it would herald in the era of the paperless office. It didn’t, not completely anyway. We still find ourselves inundated with reports and proposals, receipts and applications. What computers have done is save us time and money, since we can attach a document rather than put it in the mail or automate processes formerly done by hand. Through those changes we have indeed cut down on the amounts of paper that move between offices, even if our own desks are still piled high.

The legal system is the latest sector to try and cut down on paper waste, with courts across the country working to digitize existing forms and records as well as beef up online services like access to court documents and even the process of filing charges.

Polk County, Iowa just made their judicial system entirely paperless by moving the criminal and traffic divisions to the Iowa Electronic Document Management System. The system stores court documents and allows new documents to be filed in a case, but also lets prosecuting attorneys file initial charges and defense attorneys file responses. Multiple users can also access case documents rather than waiting for someone else to review the single copy of a document and return it to the court clerk.

New procedures are difficult to implement in the legal system, since so much rides on the accuracy of case files, yet judges and attorneys around the country are working to adapt to the changes. In Fairbault County, MN, for example, one district court judge remarked that the paperless system is simpler than pulling files and taking files back, then pulling more files. In Wichita Falls, TX, meanwhile, courts have brought in iPads since the Apple (News - Alert) device recently added Laserfiche functionality, the system the court had been using to scan and store files. The iPads allow judges to pull case documents themselves rather than sending a court clerk to retrieve them from paper files or designated PCs. Wichita Falls would also like to see the growth of video conferencing, which could allow a Judge to hold court in remote locations, similar to the way some doctors are treating patients through virtual consultations. In a large state like Texas, the ability to offer services remotely could mean shorter wait times for court dates and less travel for court personnel.

Companies like Laserfiche and Cericus CMS (used in Florida courts) have been working to gain the loyalty of states converting to electronic systems but even the federal courts are integrating electronic access. The PACER system – Public Access to Court Electronic Records – provides computer based access to case information from the US District, Bankruptcy and Appellate Courts. Not all case files are converted and anything over a few years old isn’t likely to be found in PACER, but it’s easy to imagine that, for a fee, it will be easier than ever to access case information from anywhere.

Since the medical and banking professions have paved the way in electronic operations and computer based storage, concerns over security haven’t been nearly as prominent as they would have been just a few years ago. With cloud computing and database storage becoming more common all around, both the legal industry and the citizens it represents seem to be comfortable with having private details digitized.