Florida e-Filing: More Changes Coming!

We’ve all had our issues with e-Filing, so  it may not make you feel any better to know that Florida e-filing is “one of the most advanced and trouble- free for any state”, things could always be worse!!

The latest article from the Florida Bar about the state of e-Filing can be found HERE.

The article also discusses some changes coming to the portal, one on September 20-21 and the second a month later:

The first will expand the range of people and agencies who can file court documents through the portal. The portal began by allowing attorneys to e-file and then in June added judges and pro se parties.

The new upgrade will allow court reporters, mediators, process services, law enforcement, state agencies, mental health professionals, and similar entities to file court documents through the portal.

There will also be additional changes to help clerks and attorneys made during the October 24-25 update:

One will allow clerks to electronically file documents related to prisoner sentencing directly with the Department of Corrections.

Another will allow larger documents to be filed in appellate cases and a third will remove unnecessary email data from portal records.

One will help attorneys select the type of document they wish to file. Currently, attorneys can use a search function or go through drop-down menus to select a document type for their filing. Fishback said with the change, attorneys and other filers will be able to start typing a document type and the portal programming will then suggest document types that fit the description, much like Google and other search engines’ software help users define a search topic.

The second change will allow “bulk” management of e-service email addresses. Fishback said currently, each email address must be added or removed individually from each case that person is involved in. If an attorney or paralegal leaves a firm, he or she, or the firm, would have to go to every case that person was involved in to remove them from the service list. The new change will allow one operation to remove that person from all the cases.

“Filers say, ‘I want to remove myself from all the cases I’m on a service list, because I’m leaving this office.’ We’re adding the ability to do that,” Fishback said. “We’re hoping to give them a mechanism to better maintain these e-service lists that people rely on so much.”