18 Ways Courts Should Use Technology to Better Serve their Customers

Back in October 2018, we see that our good friend and former NCSC colleague, John Greacen released the above-titled report issued by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver.  We briefly summarize below…

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The report begins:

"For over 20 years, courts have had national functional standards that describe the functional capabilities they should demand in court case management systems to ensure that automation meets their internal data processing needs. But what about the equally—if not more—important needs of the courts’ customers when it comes to technology?"

Yes! 

So what follows is a terrific list of functions that courts should focus their future planning and development efforts to accomplish.  Those items described in the report are:

• Enabling Customers to Obtain Information and Court Services Using Their Smartphones 
• Enabling Customers to Present Photos, Videos, and Other Information from Their Smartphones in the Courtroom 
• Enabling Customers to Appear in Court by Telephone or Video Conference 
• Enabling Parties to Schedule Hearings at Their Convenience 
• Enabling Parties to Pay Fees, Fines, and Other Financial Obligations Online 
• Enabling Wayfinding
• Enabling Customers to Obtain Information and Forms Remotely
• Simplifying the Process of Forms Completion 
• Enabling Self-Represented Litigants to File Documents Electronically Enabling the Creation of an Order or Judgment at  the Close of a Hearing or Trial 
• Creating an Online Triaging Portal for Every Jurisdiction 
• Enabling Online Dispute Resolution  
• Enabling Automated Court Messaging to Customers 
• Using Messaging to Guide Customers through their Court Case Using Technology to Simplify the Service of Process Eliminating Notarization Requirements for Court Filings 
• Maintaining a List of Each Customer’s Personal Needs
• Implementation of a Component Model Case Management System 

You can download a copy of the report from their blog web page at: 

https://iaals.du.edu/publications/eighteen-ways-courts-should-use-technology-better-serve-their-customers

 Congratulations to John and all the participants in the report.