'Forget the Paper Shuffle; court filings now just a click away'
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| At first glance, Tom Valentine, a collection lawyer,
wasn't too keen on the electronic filing of court cases. But he has become a convert. In just seconds Wednesday, Valentine's office transmitted 100 civil cases to the clerk of the Shawnee County District Court. Last week, the office's most efficient clerk spent all day processing 100 civil cases, said administrative Judge Terry Bullock. "This is something that a lawyer with a $2,500 PC can learn," said Valentine, who files 100 to 150 cases a week to collect debts for medical clients and utility companies. Also called paperless filing, the system eliminates the bulk of sometimes voluminous pages filed in legal cases. Sheriff Dave Menely and court administrator Kay Falley said paper- less filing would free up deputies and clerks for duties other than shuffling court paperwork. Bullock formally unveiled the system Wednesday. "This is the first Kansas and, we believe, for the nation," Bullock said of paperless filing. There were 22,554 new debt collection cases filed in Shawnee County last year. Debt collection represents half of the court's new caseload each year. The court also monitors pay plans in the past 100,000 debt cases. The system is based on the concept that a case filing, all the follow-up filings, answers to filings, counter-answers and court orders don't have to be filed in a hard copy, paper file. "This system will have monumental impact. We're thinking outside the lines here in Shawnee County," Bullock said. "Even the forests are breathing a sigh of relief." Falley said the system would save the work equal to one trial court clerk and 1- 1/2 records clerks totaling $34, 996 in annual salaries. In the past eight years, civil and criminal filings have almost tripled, Bullock said. The court clerk's office has 52 employees. With the advent of the electronic filing system, Menely said four departments could be returned to street duty. Paper work to be served by the sheriff's department in the past four |
years has tripled to 150,000pieces a year, he said.
Six civilians, whose wages cost less than deputies, will be hired to handle some
paperwork, Menely said. The system has been on trial since late October and has been used for 2,400 debt cases, or about 50 percent of the new filings in that area. Court officials expect 85 percent of the debt collection cases to be paperless filings. District court official also want to add criminal cases, juvenile cases and garnishments, as well as child support collections, which amounts to 10,000 cases to the paperless system. Sally Henry, director of information services for the court, said by this fall lawyers should be able to file other types of cases via www.shawneecourt.org --- the district court's web site. The site, which has information about judges and court rules, will have electronic filing instructions and court forms, Henry said. Under the old system, considerable time was spent manually carrying, mailing, filing and handling paper court documents and checks. With paperless filing, much of the work is done between computer:
From the time a paperless case is filed until a computer generated summons is issued, 47 minutes elapse compared with 9 hours and 45 minutes in traditional handling, according to district estimates. District courts in Johnson, Sedgwick and Wyandotte counties have inquired about the paperless filing system. The National Center for States Courts is studying it.
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