Civil Courts That Require Electronic Filing Cause Confusion Among Attorneys

Courthouses all across the country are now changing their local rules of civil procedure, requiring attorneys to use electronic filing of court documents, causing some confusion among attorneys.

"Attorneys are perplexed," says Gary Davis, Vice President of SmartRules.com. "While many courthouses now require certain types of documents to be filed electronically, other documents are not required to be electronically filed. And still other courthouses have not implemented electronic filing at all."

SmartRules.com is a website that tracks and updates the rules of civil procedure for courthouses all over the United States.

While most attorneys just assume that the march towards electronic filing is driven only by technology, the trend is actually more likely due to cost cutting. "When documents are filed electronically, fewer clerks are required to do the filing, and courthouse costs go down," says Mr. Davis.

As a result, courthouses save money. And lots of it. And so can attorneys.

Before e-filing, attorneys asked their paralegals or had to hire filing services to make an urgent trip to the courthouse in order to meet a filing deadline. Or worse yet, do the filing themselves. In-person filing can be expensive — especially when filing in foreign jurisdictions. When attorneys can file electronically, they can eliminate the cost, time and stress of a deadline dash to the courthouse. Instead, the documents can be filed quickly and easily over the Internet.

But how does an attorney know which documents in which courthouses can or must be electronically filed?

"That's why SmartRules.com is becoming so valuable a tool. It is a legal website that eliminates that confusion and actually helps attorneys save money by making them aware of their e-Filing opportunities," says Mr. Davis.

SmartRules receives more than 800 alerts weekly from courthouses, combing those alerts for relevant changes, new e-Filing abilities and requirements and updating the SmartRules guides every single business day. "As a result," says Mr. Davis, "our members are always up to date on the latest local rules and have the advantage when it comes to e-Filing and compliance."

New SmartRules members often start with a monthly subscription, but for a limited time, SmartRules.com is offering a shorter Trial Subscription. Details are at SmartRules.com

For more information on the changing legal landscape in California and the United States, email Gary Davis at support@SmartRules.com.