Electronic Filing Presentation

1. Electronic Filing Presentation Lynn S. Streck 513-946-5612 Clerk of Courts Office Hamilton County, Ohio

2. Patti Clancy • Patti Clancy, the Clerk of Courts, continues to bring technological innovations and advances to her office. • Electronic filing is the one of these services.

3. Overview • Electronic filing allows attorneys to file documents with the courts from their computers via the Internet. • It is a paperless, document delivery method. • All documents accepted are actually filed.

4. Specifications • A personal computer with the following: • Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later OR Mac OS version 7.5.3 or later (on an Apple Power MacIntosh or compatible) • Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect word processing software • Adobe Acrobat version 4.05 or greater (full version) software • Access to the internet and • An e-mail address. • A valid American Express, Discover or MasterCard credit card • An E-Filing user account

5. Benefits of E-Filing • The website is open 24/7 for filing and accessing files. • Once the efiling is processed by clerks, the filed document is immediately available on the Clerk’s website. • This enables quick file retrieval and distribution of documents as well as • multi-user simultaneous access to case files.

6. Benefits Continued • There is increased security due to reduction of documents or files being lost or misfiled. • This is a faster and a more efficient means to duplicate, access and transfer case files. • One can perform full text searches. • It provides Service to case parties. • It enables eventual e-service to attorneys.

7. Benefits Continued • It saves time and money resources such as: • file management, storage space and record searching expenses • paper and toner for printing, printer repair costs • personnel time for reproduction and collation of papers and courthouse visits and • postage or courier services for some or • gasoline and parking costs for others. • It makes us ahead of the national trend toward electronic case files.

8. Applications • The Clerk of Courts’ website at www.courtclerk.org has a user guide, e-filing registration and credit card forms. Local Rules governing e-filing are here too. • Select the tab marked Services and choose Electronic Filing. • Once an account has been set up this is also the login location.

9. www.courtclerk.org

10. Pricing • A $100.00 copy cost account deposit is required if filing in the Common Pleas or Appellate courts. • Ten cents per page copy cost is charged against this deposited balance. • When the balance declines to $25.00, an e-mail requests the funds be replenished.

11. Pricing Continued • A separate copy cost account is not maintained for doing only Municipal Civil filings. • Here the ten cents per page copy costs are charged against the account credit card during the filing processing. • All filing costs determined by local rules remain the same.

12. Cost Tracking Features Via Web for Common Pleas Cases • Select the Search Court Records tab. • For Account Copy Costs- Under General Searches select Search by Case Number for Case Information (report #2), enter case number using the format EF00 plus your 5 digit Ohio Supreme Court number and click submit. • For All Other Case Costs - Select Common PleasCase Cost Statement (report #19), enter the case number and click submit.

13. www.courtclerk.org

14. Copy Cost Report • On the web site, run the report. When it’s on the screen, click on Edit, click Select All, (the text will color over), click on Edit again, click Copy, open a word document or a spreadsheet and click Paste. The copy cost information will now be on your document. • Save the document.You can now search by case number to tabulate its copy cost. An example follows.

15. Hamilton County Clerk of Courts APPEARANCE DOCKETEF0012345 Attorney - Plaintiff Attorney - Defendant ALLY McBEAL Filed: 3/15/01EFILE-FILING COPY ACCOUNT Total Deposits $100.00 CRTotal Costs $10.20 9603150ALLY McBEAL

16. DATEDESCRIPTIONAMOUNT3/15/01 ISSUE DESK - DEPOSIT BY ALLY McBEAL E FILING FUND100.00- • 3/20/01004 COPIES MADE FOR CASE NUMBER A -0008196; CONFIRMATION NUMBER 1034 0.40 • 3/20/01004 COPIES MADE FOR CASE NUMBER A -0005878; CONFIRMATION NUMBER 1035 0.40 • 3/24/01010 COPIES MADE FOR CASE NUMBER A -0002271; CONFIRMATION NUMBER 1037 1.00 • 4/23/01004 COPIES MADE FOR CASE NUMBER A -9907658; CONFIRMATION NUMBER 1060 0.40 • 5/7/01008 COPIES MADE FOR CASE NUMBER A -9907658; CONFIRMATION NUMBER 1077 0.80 • 5/7/01 022 COPIES MADE FOR CASE NUMBER A -0001441; CONFIRMATION NUMBER 1076 2.20

17. Availability • The first electronic filing was done on March 7, 2001 in a Common Pleas case. • Currently most documents are being accepted for Common Pleas civil cases. EXCEPTIONS are Entries and Finals*. • Documents being accepted in Common Pleas criminal cases are Filings and Motions. *anything that closes a case where costs would be computed and paid

18. Availability Continued • In August 2002 electronic filing was started for Municipal Civil cases. • In September 2002 electronic filing was started for Appellate cases. • Help is available from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. on Monday through Friday at 513-946-5612.

19. In Summary • Electronic Filing, a paperless, document delivery method, is • convenient, • cost cutting, • efficient and • user friendly. • Try it!

20. Thank You Questions