I’ve written before about how I hate mailing letters. It’s a waste of trees. It’s a waste of time to print, sign, fold, seal, stamp and mail a letter. But hey, at least you get to wait 2-3 days for it to arrive at its destination. Email is easier. It’s quicker. It’s more efficient.
I’m building my practice to be completely mobile. I want to be able to operate just as easily from Puerto Rico as I can from Cleveland. As it turns out, it’s not all that difficult. Get a web-based practice management software, Skype, Google Apps, an e-fax service, and a smartphone and you’re pretty much done. One thing holds me to my location: filing court documents.
Some places in Ohio let attorneys file court documents online. Most do not. This makes no sense.
Many documents filed are scanned and available via online dockets. A lot of times, though, the online docket links are either broken or link to a page that simply restates the docket entry. If the clerk’s office can accept, scan, and post online an image of the pleading, why can’t the office accept electronic pleadings? The federal courts have allowed electronic filing for years, largely without issue. We can file our taxes electronically. It’s time all of our state courts jumped on the bandwagon.
I’m not suggesting we do away with hard copy filing completely. At least not yet. However, if that were to be an unfortunate consequence of the transition to electronic filing, so be it.
Most courts let attorneys file pleadings via fax, which is more convenient than having to stand in line at the Clerk’s office to file things in person. But there’s one major annoyance attached to that convenience: often the attorney has to mail a hard copy of the pleading to the Clerk. If not, it still has to be served on the opposing party.
Mail. My arch nemesis.
I can do (almost) everything from my iPhone. If I can’t do it, odds are I can accomplish the task from my iPad. There is not an app I need, not a task that doesn’t have a handy icon on my home screen, except for the ability to file court documents electronically. I can scan a piece of paper, upload it to my Dropbox folder as a PDF, edit it in my PDF-editing app, and then fax it via email. But I still have to mail the damned thing.
I know attorneys are, by nature, adverse to new things. And I recognize that a lot of courts are even more hesitate to adopt technological changes. But we aren’t in the beginning stages of online communication anymore. By and large, it’s safe and secure.
Is the concern about the cost of transitioning? Think of what the savings would be after the transition. In this time when everybody is so concerned with wasteful government spending, the fact that so much of our government’s operations are paper-based astounds me. Going digital saves money, but most of all it saves time and energy.
Do any of you practice in courts that allow electronic filing? Has it made a difference in your practice? I’d like to hear from you, so comment below and let’s keep the conversation going.
