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Breaking Down Paradigms
The transition from paper to an electronic court record was a paradigm shift for all stakeholders. ECR is a comprehensive system. Except for particular documents required by law, the electronic court record is the only record maintained; it is the record used to conduct court business daily. Approximately 7,000 documents are received by the clerk daily.
Moving to an electronic record was an enormous change for all of those who work with the King County Superior Court and Clerk's Office. Communication was key to the transition for all stakeholders, from judges and clerks to attorneys and customers. Rather than duplicating paper filing and record keeping processes, transition to an electronic record meant entirely new processes for all involved.
Moving to an electronic record was an enormous change for all of those who work with the King County Superior Court and Clerk's Office. Communication was key to the transition for all stakeholders, from judges and clerks to attorneys and customers. Rather than duplicating paper filing and record keeping processes, transition to an electronic record meant entirely new processes for all involved.
Electronic files… break down both time and space paradigms."
--Jan Michels, the Honorable Dale Ramerman, and Roger Winters in the State Justice System Journal, 1999
The change, however, was a dramatically positive one. Papers files can be lost, stolen or damaged and require days to process; and, can only be accessed by one person at a time. Electronic files are more secure, reliable, quicker to view and can be accessible by multiple persons at once. Superior court, clerk's office, litigants and the public were all able to reap the benefits of electronic court records through the ECR Program, which enabled a successful, careful transition.