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Lawyers will have to file electronically in all Indiana state courts by the end of 2018, according to a plan overseen by Supreme Court Justice Steven David and Court of Appeals Judge Paul Mathias. Hamilton County got the ball rolling July 29 with the Indiana Supreme Court and Court of Appeals following in November. The Indiana Tax Court goes to e-filing in January 2016.
By year’s end, more than 130 state/local government users and approximately 550 other registered users have filed more than 2,200 electronic cases in Hamilton County. As part of the pilot project expansion to the appellate courts, the Indiana Public Defender, Marion County Public Defender and the Indiana attorney general’s office agreed to e-file their documents with the appellate clerk in existing appeals. All other e-filing registered users may e-file, but are not required.
Mathias said the response from attorneys has largely been, “Why hasn’t this happened before? What’s taken so long?”
“This is a big leap,” David said. “But if someone’s able to use Facebook, this should be a piece of cake.”
In order to fund the e-filing project, civil filing fees increased by $14 July 1 to support technology upgrades. The Supreme Court set up www.courts.in.gov/efile, to provide information on e-filing, such as a list of service providers and rules.•
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