State e-filing program shows steady growth

MiFILE, a statewide electronic filing project, passed the major milestone of 500,000 e-filings in July and is currently at more than 720,000 filings since the system was launched, officials sai.

The number of system users has also climbed to nearly 25,000.

“Seeing steady, substantial growth in the number of e-filings across our courts is a promising step forward to making sure Michigan residents have better access to the court system and can file court documents from anywhere at any time,” said Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano, the court’s liaison on technology and e-filing.

The goal of MiFILE is to allow litigants to file case documents from anywhere at any time.

Eliminating paper filing will help courts improve services to the public and will enable electronic receipt and processing of documents.

MiFILE has been implemented in five pilot courts: 3rd Circuit (Wayne County); 6th Circuit (Oakland); 13th Circuit (Antrim, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau); 16th Circuit (Macomb); and 20th Circuit (Ottawa).

The next major milestone is the implementation of a standard solution in a model district, circuit, and probate court — 22nd Circuit (Washtenaw), 37th District (Warren), and Ottawa County Probate.

Statewide rollout of the system will occur in waves that are determined by geographic location, filing volumes, and court size, officials say.

With data and input from pilot and model courts, as well as from MiFILE Advisory Workgroups, a comprehensive standard solution is being developed for roll out across the state.

Current activities being performed include readiness assesments on each model court’s technology usage and business practices.