Oakland County, Michigan, Tuesday, July 31, 2007 -- Beginning Aug. 1, attorneys in one Oakland Circuit Courtroom will be required to file documents electronically as part of a two-year efiling pilot project.

The mandatory program will affect about 300 current cases and new cases that are assigned to Oakland Circuit Judge Michael Warren. However, only certain types of civil cases will be included in the pilot program, including negligence, medical malpractice, and personal injury lawsuits to those stemming from labor relations, forfeiture and contract disputes. The system will allow documents to be both filed and served on opposing parties electronically.

Nearly 200 attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants have already been trained on the efiling system, provided by Wiznet, a Florida-based company. Weekly training sessions are being held at the Circuit Court.

Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds, said the efiling project is in keeping with "online, not inline" initiatives made over the last two and a half years. "With technology, we are making it easier for our customers to get what they need," she said. "We have put three dozen services online, making our office more effective, more efficient and more responsive."

The new efiling project is joint effort of the Oakland County Clerk's Office, the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court and Oakland County's Information Technology Department.

"A new generation of citizens has grown up with technology in their households," said Oakland Circuit's Chief Judge Wendy L. Potts. "It stands to reason that our citizens expect the governmental arena to make use of responsible technologies in the conduct of its affairs. The Circuit Bench in Oakland County has always been a leader in using technology to advance the administration of justice."

Initially, the pilot project will be limited to the Judge Warren's courtroom but expanded in the coming months to other courtrooms. Warren has been a strong proponent of efiling technology. Last year, he coordinated a voluntary efiling program in his court, which ended when the state decided to pull funding.

"By moving into efiling and the paperless courtroom, Oakland County is maintaining its cutting edge, leadership position as a model of the effective administration of justice for state courts nationally," Warren said. "Litigants, the court, and the public will capture huge productivity gains and savings - beside, the program will save a small forest."

The cost of implementing the efiling pilot program has been the investment of time by Circuit Court, Clerk's Office and IT staff. Law offices will pay $5-8 for each filing, which should pay for the efiling system within one to two years.

"Just the savings on paper alone means about 5,000 reams of paper or 300 trees a year," Johnson said.

In the Clerk's Legal Division, 2.5 million sheets of paper move through the system every year - enough to stretch from Pontiac to Comerica Park, Johnson said. Oakland County is currently storing 600,000 paper case files dating back more than 30 years.

Oakland County is one of a handful of courts pursuing the use of such technology. A few states require efiling and it is mandatory in the federal court system.

Michael J. Sullivan, president of the Oakland County Bar Association, said he supports the program. The Bar Association is planning an educational seminar on efiling early next year.

"Efiling is going to be the wave of the future," Sullivan said. "We already do it in federal court. I know my staff likes it - they like the idea of being able to get it done from the office.

Sullivan said education is the key - some attorneys are more tech-savvy than others. "There will be a learning curve for attorneys," he said. "We as the Bar Association, the Court and the Clerk's Office need to make sure lawyers and their staff know how to use the system and that it's as user-friendly as possible."

For more information about Wiznet and the efiling project, visit www.oakgov.com/clerkrod/efiling.

Contacts:
- Judge Michael Warren.  - (248) 975-4250
- Chief Judge Wendy L. Potts - (248) 858-0365
- Ruth Johnson, Oakland County Clerk/Register - (248) 858-0566.