Texas state appellate and civil practice is going electronic.
The Texas Supreme Court has mandated electronic filing for cases in their court and for all civil cases in the Texas courts of appeals starting January 1, 2014.
Electronic filing will phased in Texas's trial-level courts, large counties first, from January 2014 through July 2016. That part of
the order will apply to district courts, statutory county courts, constitutional county courts and statutory probate courts in the following order:
- January 1, 2014, in counties with a population of 500,000 or more (In your humble correspondent's world: Fort Bend and Harris Counties);
- July 1, 2014, in counties with 200,000 to 499,999 (Brazoria County);
- January 1,2015, in counties with 100,000 to 199,999;
- July 1, 2015, in counties with 50,000 to 99,999;
- January 1,2016, in counties with 20,000 to 49,999; and
- July 1, 2016, in counties with fewer than 20,000.
Once courts switch to mandatory e-filing, attorneys must e-file all documents in civil cases, except documents exempted by Court rules, through TexFile, the portal provided by the Texas Office of Court Administration. Attorneys must not file documents by any alternative electronic methods, including by fax, except in emergencies. Courts and clerks are ordered not to offer attorneys in civil cases any alternative electronic ways to file documents. Pro se litigants may e-file, but don't have to. Courts or clerks who believe they cannot set up electronic filing timely may petition the Texas Supremes for an extension for good cause.
I think it's a lot more efficient to eFile court cases, seeing as how we are in the 21st century!
ReplyDelete-Jon