As members of the legal profession in the state of New Jersey, we lived and breathed paper filing despite our federal and Pennsylvania counterparts embracing electronic filing. Slowly, from 2014 to 2016, New Jersey courts implemented electronic filing for Criminal, then Tax, then Special Civil and then Foreclosure. In 2017, after much longing and anticipation, electronic filing was introduced in the Civil Division. Commonly referred to as eCourts, the new filing protocols were rolled out county-by-county over several months. Attorneys rejoiced at New Jersey finally joining the ranks of other jurisdictions and entering the digital age.

But … has eCourts lived up to all the hype? While the system is a meaningful step forward for New Jersey, vestiges of paper filing remain, and instead of capitalizing from the success of other electronic filing systems, like PACER, New Jersey’s eCourts domain lacks functionality and can be confusing to navigate. And while all attorneys are required to e-file, it is clear that not all judges and their staff utilize eCourts, making for uncertain protocol and lack of uniformity. Finally, far from increasing public access, eCourts limits access to attorneys and does not permit pro se filers to participate.

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