Posted by Post Authored by Tisha Delgado, brought to you by CourtFiling.net
eFiling helps attorneys and paralegals submit their court documents quickly and with fewer headaches. Receiving filing notifications by email is essential to stay updated about case status changes. Further, always double-check to ensure all parties’ Service Contacts are correct and updated.
Often, you also want your administrative assistant, docket clerk, and/or paralegal to receive simultaneous filing notifications.
Problems will likely arise if the appropriate team is not notified about new case filings. If you have not been receiving email notifications when court documents are filed, you check if you are listed as a Service Contact for that case.
Illinois CourtFiling.net makes it easy to add staff emails to the attorney users. As a result, your team can receive notifications and work without waiting for the attorney to send the filed court document.
How to Add Service Contacts for your Firm
First, find out who the eFiling firm administrator is in your CourtFiling.net account. They manage the eFiling account, add or remove attorneys and other eFilers, and update payment information. Typically, that person initially set up the account.
Ask your firm administrator to log into your Illinois CourtFiling.net account and go to Account > Service Contacts.
Once you click on Service Contacts, you should see a list of all attorneys connected to your law firm.
Next to the attorneys’ names in the Actions section, click on the Edit button. This will bring up a form containing their information.
Review the box for “Administrative copy.” If it is blank, then no one else on your team is receiving notices. Add your team members to ensure they receive any eFiled documents and you are served. Don’t forget to add yourself to Service Contacts.
Adding Serving Contacts while eFiling for Opposing Parties
When you eFile into an existing case and get to the Filing Party section, you will see the party information (Plaintiff, Defendant). You will also see all the attorneys who have filed an Appearance, along with the party they represent.
In the Service Contacts section, every attorney listed as a Service Contact with a check by their name is electronically served with by default. If you do not want a particular attorney served, find a name that should not be on the service list, or do not recognize a name, uncheck the box.
In the Service Contacts section, make sure you check the box for your attorney if that is not already done. In the above screenshot [IMAGE4], we see that attorney W.B. Cooper represents John Doe, M.D. However, W.B. Cooper is not listed as a Service Contact. Through CourtFiling.net, you can easily add W.B. Cooper to the Service Contacts list.
Simply click on the Add Service Contact and fill out the form.
Insider tip: The “From Public List” option is not currently enabled by the state’s eFiling manager, so this option will always respond with “name not found.”
If W.B. Cooper is an opposing counsel, select the Add New Contact radio button. Complete the required fields and click on the drop-down list for the Party Association. By doing so, you can find the party W.B. Cooper represents.
Unfortunately, due to the state’s eFiling manager setup, if W.B. Cooper represents more than one party, you can only select one.
Remember, everyone listed as a Service Contact with a check by their name is served with your court document.
Why Service Contacts Matter
By ensuring that both your service contacts and the opposing party’s service contacts are correct, you reduce the risk of errors and miscommunications throughout your case.
Correct internal service contacts allow you to rely on automatic notifications for all designated members, instead of one person in your office. Always be sure to update your firm’s Service Contacts in your CourtFiling.net account.
When eFiling a case, selecting the appropriate service contacts for the other party guarantees that the correct individuals are served/notified. This will prevent opposing counsel from making unknown documents claims. This is essential and ensures no evidence or the case itself is thrown out due to improper filings or missed procedures.
Thus, ensure the case’s service contacts are up to date and correct when eFiling in Illinois courts.
About the Author:
Tisha Delgado is a senior litigation paralegal and e-discovery specialist at Golan Christie Taglia, where she maintains complex databases and assists clients in collecting and exporting electronically stored information and social media. An educator, trainer, and thought leader, Tisha is frequently called on to speak at paralegal schools and legal education conferences. She currently advises legal professionals on e-filing rules and procedures, and how to create successful workflows to accommodate an evolving e-filing system in the Illinois state courts. Tisha is a member of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations.