Chief justice thanks bar for e-filing support

The state’s chief justice on Friday thanked Wisconsin’s lawyers for their support for implementing mandatory e-filing across the state.

Chief Justice Pat Roggensack addressed the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Board of Governors at its meeting Friday morning, noting that the bar’s support was crucial to the change.

“The Board of Governors’ unanimous support made the difference,” she said. “If we didn’t have your support we wouldn’t have gotten this done.”

The court’s order mandating e-filing went out Thursday and is effective July 1. Denis Moran, the director of state courts, will be setting up trial runs of the e-fling system in counties that already have voluntary e-fling.

Roggensack noted that the change would be gradual, requiring only certain types of cases to be filed electronically. All case types will go electronic by 2019. There will also be a $20 user fee that each party will pay. She emphasized e-filing would not be affected by declining court filings, which in turn means less court fees.

“The court is totally committed to implementing e-filing,” she said. “It will occur, and it will be done properly and in a timely fashion.”