Idaho Courts Usher in the 21st Cent., Launch Statewide E-Filing
The Idaho judiciary announced that they have begun implementation of e-filing technology that will allow residents and their lawyers to file court documents electronically at any time, from anywhere. What a relief.
The lucky company that the state has selected is Tyler Technologies, whose technology is already in use in Idaho's judicial system. The technological push is part of a campaign to streamline the otherwise creaky operations of the legal system and to make services faster and cheaper.
Selecting a System
In 2013, Idaho settled on Tyler's Odyssey platform applications to help meet new operational goals that it had set out for the judicial system. So far, the Odyssey suite has been used in court case management, content management, financials and spreadsheets, handling juries and now, e-filing. Twin Falls was the first county to go online using the new Odyssey e-filing system when it went online in October.
Phased Approach
Idaho plans to implement the system state-wide over the course of two years. The goal is to get all of Idaho's counties using the system by 2018, with mandatory e-filing up and running within 180 days after implementation. The technology also makes pro-se litigation somewhat easier too as it already has pre-programmed guides to help simplify the otherwise complicated process.
A Widening Base
Odyssey is already serving about a third of the U.S. Population. The company claims that in 2014, it converted 33 million cases and moved about $4 billion in payments stemming from clients who ditched their old programs to move to Odyssey.
What Took so Long?
Santa Clara County, home of the Silicon Valley, only recently even made e-filing available. So far, at least a few California Courts have signed on and now use Odyssey as well. Still, it's a little mystifying to think that Idaho, a somewhat sleepy state with a population of 1.6 million, managed to stand toe-to-toe with the City of San Jose, whose local population now touches 1 million. And here we thought that Silicon Valley was ahead of 'em all.
Way to go, Idaho!
Related Resources:
- Idaho Courts Begin Implementation of Tyler Technologies' E-Filing Solution (Yahoo! Finance)
- What's the Ultimate Password? Your Body? (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Toy Company Hit by Hackers. Was Your Child's Data Stolen? (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Lawsuit Reveals Extent of FBI Internet and Telecom Surveillance (FindLaw's Technologist)