New Year – New Technology

Happy New Year to all!  Starting today, the Supreme Court of Ohio will accept electronically filed documents (e-Filing).  The rules changed last year to allow attorneys to file all their paperwork with the court for the first time. The e-Filing Portal is now ready for all registered attorneys as well as for those filing pro se (for themselves).

Cleveland Assistant Director of Law Linda Bickerstaff was one of the nearly 200 lawyers who initially signed up to e-File. She says, “The ability to file electronically with the Supreme Court gives me equal footing with opposing counsel that may be in the Columbus area, because I previously had to complete my work days ahead of the deadline just to be sure it would be received on time.”

If you are interested in e-Filing, just remember:

·       Documents must be received through the e-Filing Portal before 5 p.m. Eastern Time to be considered filed that day.

·       Documents of more than 300 pages must be submitted as multiple PDF documents  rather than as one large file.

·       E-Filing is optional, but those who choose to use the portal must register and set up  an account.

The United States Supreme Court will not be far behind Ohio in accepting e-Filing. Chief Justice John Roberts said in the 2014Year-End Report that the Court’s own e-Filing system is being developed with hope that it will be operational by 2016.

“Once the system is implemented, all filings at the Court—petitions and responses to petitions, merits briefs, and all other types of motions and applications—will be available to the legal community and the public without cost on the Court’s website,” Chief Justice Roberts said.

But unlike Ohio, paper filings will still be required in Washington.

To make sure that Ohio litigants understand the new process, the e-Filing Help Desk for the Ohio Supreme Court at 614.387.9980 can help with your questions or concerns. Find the portal on the court’s homepage at sc.ohio.gov.