A Virtual Court Counter and More in East Lansing Michigan

 

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Our favorite fans of film noir, NCSC Tiny Chatters DanielHirsch and Zach Zarnow brought to our attention the virtual court counter, in the Michigan District Court 54B.

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Sometimes one just needs to talk with a person for help.  I have had to do that twice in recent weeks because my problems weren’t simple.  When this happens, this is where the idea of a “court virtual clerk’s counter” is an excellent use of web conferencing software.

Thanks to Tiny Chat, we learned that in "August 2020, the East Lansing 54B District Court implemented a "virtual counter," where court users can interact with court staff via Zoom. The virtual counter is offered to increase accessibility for court users. The virtual counter is available by video or phone Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m”

A great benefit to the courts is that the virtual counter can potentially allow “counter staffing” from home, to overcome disabled-related barriers or even other locations in the state and if allowed by personnel rules, elsewhere.

For more, please see some associated subject research from the Pew Charitable Trusts that describes some of the challenges faced by the government that might be partially addressed by the virtual counter.

The 54^th District Court has employed additional avenues for help including the Matterhorn online systems for online payment of non-public and misdemeanor cases, parking violations, and other court-related payments as well as online court case lookup, and online court forms.

And there is more.  It is well worth the click to see all the great work this court is doing.  Congratulations!