The following announcement was posted yesterday on the Oregon Judicial Department Web site:

Chief Justice Thomas A. Balmer, Oregon Supreme Court, has approved a plan for the move to a mandatory eFiling requirement for attorneys filing cases in Oregon’s circuit and appellate courts. The Oregon Judicial department will circulate proposed court rules in the upcoming months for comment. The plan calls for a mandatory date of December 1, 2014 for the eleven circuit courts that currently have the Oregon eCourt system, including the eFiling component (File and Serve), and includes a transition plan for those courts that implement later. [Emphasis supplied.]

Prior to the implementation of mandatory eCourt, OJD will publish the final version of the mandatory UTCR eFiling rules. The current UTCRs are available here, but expect changes in October.

If you are not already familiar with the eFile and Serve system, get training.  Yesterday’s OJD announcement included the following:

Webinars and other eFiling trainings are available for Bar members. The trainings are designed for people with varied levels of experience with Oregon’s eFiling system. CLE credit has been approved for some of the sessions, and additional trainings will be added as needed.

The attached Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) document has additional information, including a link to training dates and registration information. Additional information about eFiling and mandatory eFiling is on the OJD Web site.

You should also review the resources available from the Professional Liability Fund, including our collection of eCourt practice aids and our June 15 CLE: Survival Tips for Practicing in eCourt and Organizing Your E-Mail.  You may also search this blog for 10 posts on eCourt that served as inspiration for the PLF practice aids.

All Rights Reserved [2014] Beverly Michaelis