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ELECTRONIC FILING PILOT PROJECT CONCLUDES AT CIRCUIT COURT After more than three years of exhaustive study, the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County has concluded that the dream of incorporating electronic filing into the local judicial system is still ahead of the actual technology that could make it an efficient and effective process for the courts, attorneys and citizens. "We are one of the most technologically savvy courts in the state," says Hon. Nancy Davis-Loomis. "When it comes to new technology, we are often the first to bring it online. We welcome all technology that enhances our service to the citizens of Anne Arundel County. Unfortunately, while we are ready for e-filing, e-filing technology is not yet ready for us." The Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County began its study of e-filing in 2004 and progressed through the steps of beginning a pilot program to investigate the effectiveness of e-filing in Maryland. The pilot was approved in 2006 by the Court of Appeals and from the outset, it was the stated goal of the pilot to establish a truly integrated electronic filing system. During the last two years, court personnel, judges, information technology staff and others have pushed hard to make e-filing a reality in Anne Arundel County. As a pilot, the Circuit Court felt it was our responsibility to investigate the feasibility of e-filing from the perspective of all parties involved - attorneys, the court, information technology and the public. "We learned a great deal about e-filing, and the bottom line is that in the e-filing world, integration can mean different things to different people," says Davis-Loomis. "For e-filing to be effective in our county and we believe in any court, it must make filing for attorneys easier, but at the same time make the court’s case management and judicial communication easier as well. We will not compromise our standards; we have challenged e-filing vendors to push themselves to develop a product that will meet our needs. And I am sure they will." The Circuit Court’s efforts will continue as its personnel collaborates with the State Judiciary and shares what it has learned from the pilot project to move forward and will continue to look for technology that improves its service to the community.
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