From the President, 1220 WYBJ, Vol. 43 No. 6. 8
| Position | Vol. 43 6 Pg. 8 |
E-Filing: An Update
Several years ago, Jake Brooks and I were asked to write an article on advances in technology in the practice of law. Jake wrote the article and my sole contribution was the title of the article, “Do You Miss the Fax Machine? Changes in Legal Technology Trough the Generations.”[1] While I still miss the fax machine, I cannot help but smile when I think of the changes in technology at our firm since I joined Hirst Applegate, LLP, in 2004. When I started practicing, we rarely emailed materials. Scanning documents to PDF was relatively new technology. If you were in a rush to deliver something, you faxed it. The Federal Court had just started e-filing, but most attorneys still paper filed. I literally walked up to the courthouse and handed my first federal filing to the Clerk of Court. It has now been years since I have been to the USDC Clerk’s office. In 2004, our firm had two laptops. If you needed to take one on the road, you had to check it out. Now, all of our attorneys have laptops and, as a result of COVID, all the paralegals and staff have them too. A lot has changed in the last 16 years.
One of the most frequent questions I have heard during my time serving the Wyoming State Bar is the status of e-filing in Wyoming courts. The short answer is—it’s on its way. This refrain is a little like “the check is in the mail” and unfortunately, it will not be here as soon as you, I, the courts, or our clients want it to be. It is a process.
Please know it is a priority to the Wyoming Judicial Branch and the Wyoming State Bar. We just need to do it right. That takes time.
The Supreme Court currently uses a case management system called C-Track, which was first implemented in 2008 and continues to function as the Court’s case management system. However, that system is close to reaching its end-of-life and will need to be upgraded or replaced in the next few years.
With respect to state district courts, there are two important components—a case management system and an e-filing system. Over the years, the state’s district courts have used various case management systems with various levels of success, improving access for court staff and judges. Currently, all of the state district courts are using a case management system called WyUser, which has proved useful in ensuring that all of the...
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