And the largest of these vendors, Universal City, Texas-based ProDoc was stripping out all the meticulously crafted bookmarks and hyperlinks before submitting the documents to the courts. All Dallas-area courts which accept e-filing require attorneys to utilize one of six approved vendors. However, as lawyers began to take advantage of the ability to include bookmarks and hyperlinks in their briefs, a snag in the system became apparent.
Prodoc Trial full#
As such, a business involved in a heated legal dispute might be wise to make sure that the business’s attorneys are taking full advantage of this opportunity to make favorable legal precedent readily available to the judge. Richter advised lawyers that these hyperlinks can be extremely helpful to judges. But, with an e-filed document, it is possible to include hyperlinks directly to the legal precedent. Richter advised lawyers that he strongly encourages lawyers to use such bookmarks in e-briefs.Īs another example, it was impractical if not impossible for attorneys to attach all legal precedent being cited in a paper document. Tabs sticking out along the right-hand side of paper briefs have long been used to by attorneys to help judges locate particular sections of the brief, and electronic “bookmarks” are the e-brief equivalent of these tabs.
Prodoc Trial pdf#
Richter explained that this means more than simply converting a paper document into a searchable PDF document. In light of this development, Justice Richter strongly encouraged lawyers at the seminar to format their documents to make them easier to read on an e-reader. At a recent Dallas Association of Young Lawyers seminar, Dallas Court of Appeals Justice Martin Richter noted that all judges on the court have acquired e-readers. And this allows the judges to prepare for the next day’s court hearings from home, which before the advent of e-filing might have been impractical due to the volume of papers that would need to be lugged back and forth to the courthouse each day. This convenience is a true life-saver for boutique firms, which do not have the manpower available at larger firms.Īs more lawyers have begun to file their documents electronically, many judges have recently begun reviewing these documents on iPads and other e-readers. In addition to reducing the stress of a last-minute dash to the courthouse, e-filing saves considerable costs for attorneys by eliminating the need to pay overtime to paralegals or couriers to make the trip.
With e-filing, documents can be filed over the internet without anyone ever needing to leave the office. The Dallas Court of Appeals followed suit last year.īefore adoption of e-filing, attorneys, paralegals, and couriers had to jump into their cars and rush to the courthouse or post office to meet filing deadlines.
Prodoc Trial trial#
The Dallas County trial courts began accepting electronic filing, also known as e-filing, several years ago. Electronic filing has begun to change the way that lawyers prepare legal briefs and motions.
0 kommentar(er)
