Mandatory eCourt begins today for the eleven circuit courts that currently have the Oregon eCourt system.  In last week’s post, I described 10 steps to get ready for eFiling. Today I want to address how to manage the stress and anxiety of this transition.

Give Yourself Extra Time

I truly believe that once practitioners gain experience with eFiling, the transition will be embraced.  I appreciate that the road to gaining experience brings anxiety, especially since there is no way to “practice” with the Odyssey eFile & Serve system.

Knowing that the first filing or two might be a little nerve-wracking, please give yourself extra time.  You will become familiar with the process, but building familiarity and confidence takes time.  Don’t create extra pressure for yourself by waiting until the deadline date to file a document.  If your filing is rejected, you will need to seek relation back to cure the missed deadline.

If at all possible, file well in advance of the deadline.  If your filing is rejected, you will have time to breathe, fix the problem, and refile.

File During Business Hours When Support is Available

The Odyssey eFile & Serve system is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  While it may be tempting to complete a filing at 10:00 p.m. Friday night, technical support staff are not available to assist you if something goes awry.

File during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Central Time when Tyler Technologies support staff can assist you.

Tyler Technologies support staff can walk you through:

• Initiating a new filing
• Filing into an existing case
• eServing parties in a case

Tech support can also use “GoToAssist” to take control of your computer and help you complete an eFiling. Keep the support number handy: 1.800.297.5377 and don’t hesitate to use it.

Reach Out to Experienced Colleagues

If you know a colleague who has used the Odyssey eFile & Serve system system, ask for pointers.  There are practitioners in Yamhill, Crook, Jefferson, and a handful of other counties who have lived with eCourt for 18 months.  If you don’t know of someone personally who has used the system, posting to a listserv or contacting a Resource Lawyer through the Oregon State Bar Lawyer-to-Lawyer program may be an option.  (Note: eCourt is not a specific resource category in the Lawyer-to-Lawyer program, but Litigation is.)

[All Rights Reserved – 2014 – Beverly Michaelis]