Clerk Brown Enhances the Clerk’s Office’s E-Filing Pilot to Full Service with the Addition of Motion Spindling

Fewer trips to the courthouse and increased E-Filing usage expected

By Jalyne R. Strong-Shaw

Chief Deputy Clerk of Public Information

The Honorable Dorothy Brown recently announced that the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court Cook County has enhanced its Electronic Filing (E-Filing) service in the Commercial Litigation Section of the Law Division, by adding a motion spindling feature that enables filers to receive their court dates electronically. Clerk Brown also emphasized that the E-Filing system with motion spindling was developed at “no cost” to taxpayers. The added motion spindling feature promises to draw more users to E-Filing as it eliminates the need for attorneys and litigants to come to court to receive a court date at the division’s motion spindling counter.

“The motion spindling option in E-Filing completes the service, offering users everything from start to finish in filing a case,” said Clerk Brown. “With the ability to receive a court date electronically, attorneys and litigants will only have to come to court when it is time to try their cases. E-Filing with motion spindling is a major convenience.”

“As motion practice is a huge percentage of case activity,” Clerk Brown added, “we expect that this new added feature will increase the overall usage of E-Filing.”

Clerk Brown launched the E-Filing service for attorneys and pro se litigants in May 2009 as a pilot program in the Individual Commercial Calendar Section of the Law Division. Currently the Clerk’s Office E-Filing service has attracted more than 5,500 registered users.

“Attorneys and pro se litigants will immediately experience the big benefit of E-Filing now that the service includes the option to spindle a motion,” said Clerk Brown.

To familiarize more attorneys with E-Filing and its features, Clerk Brown hosts an ongoing E-Filing online training webinar on the Clerk’s Office’s web site: www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org.

Within the E-Filing online service, the motion spindling feature is presented as a menu item that opens to a screen offering the options to “File Motion and Spindle Motion.” If the user desires a motion date, he or she may search a calendar within the dialog box and select the date. The user will then click a “search” button for a valid date and receive three options on the judge’s calendar. The user clicks one of the dates and then click’s “Request Spindled Date” button. A receipt indicating the requested spindle date, time and sequence on the motion call is returned for printing and saving.

E-Filing is the automated online process of creating a court file, paying associated filing fees and electronically file-stamping and storing court documents. The process increases efficiency for attorneys, self-represented litigants and court clerks. E-Filing also increases the proficiency of the Clerk’s Office in accepting court documents and storing them, thus a cost savings to taxpayers.

“E-Filing streamlined the process for filing court documents, basically allowing filers to move from in line at the Clerk’s Office to online with the Clerk’s Office,” said Clerk Brown.

The enhanced E-Filing system sets the stage for the expansion of E-Filing into other areas of the Law Division and eventually into all divisions of the Clerk’s Office. “The pilot program in the Commercial Litigation area of the Law Division is a significant success and is a good foundation for the smooth and efficient rollout of E-Filing into the other areas of law,” noted Clerk Brown.