Circuit Court eFiling - eFiling a new adoption case as an attorney

Purpose: Adoption (AD) and juvenile adoption (JA) case types are eligible for eFiling in participating counties. This tutorial covers how to file a new adoption case as an attorney.

Applicable Users: Attorneys

eFile a new adoption case as an attorney

1. Visit the eFiling website at https://efiling.wicourts.gov/ and log in. For more information see the article Logging into Wisconsin circuit court eFiling.
2. Following verification, you are routed to the Wisconsin Circuit Court eFiling home page. Select the new filing link from the main navigation or the File a new case link from the bottom-left menu.
   
3. Select the county you are filing in from the County dropdown menu and the applicable class code from the Class code dropdown menu. Both adoption and juvenile adoption class codes will appear as 50601 – Adoption in the Class code dropdown menu. Select [Continue].
   
4. When the adoption class code is selected, the question, Is this filing for a minor? displays. Selecting Yes indicates this filing should be classified as a juvenile adoption (JA) case.
   
   Note: The Is this filing for a minor? question will only display for filings in counties that accept the JA case type for juvenile adoptions. If this question does not appear, the county does not accept JA case types, and the juvenile adoption should be filed as an AD case type.
5. If applicable, select the appropriate agency from the Which agency is this filing for? dropdown menu. Then, select the [Continue] button.
   
   Note: The Which agency is this filing for? question will be displayed for attorneys associated with county agencies.
6. Select the [Add party] button to add parties to the case.
   
   Note: To quickly determine which party types are required for a case type, select the [Continue] button before adding a party. Continuing without adding a party triggers an error message showing the party requirements for the selected case type/class code.
7. Complete the New party window. Start by choosing the Party type, beginning with the filing party (i.e., Adoptive Mother for an AD case). Select the [Add attorney] button to add the attorney representing the filing party on the case.
   
8. Select the [Save, and Add next party] button to add additional parties to the case.
   
9. When all parties have been added, review them for accuracy and select [Continue].
   
10. Select the [Upload documents] button to browse for and upload a filing document and other associated documents to the case. Review the bulleted list to ensure your documents are correctly formatted.
    
11. From the Document type dropdown menu, select the correct document type, and enter a descriptive title in the Document title text entry field. Select the [Continue] button.
    
    Note: An accurate and descriptive title is beneficial for identifying documents. The title entered here displays in the View documents list on the My cases page and is visible to the courts.
    If, after selecting the [Continue] button, the following red error message displays: “A filing document is required” you might not have selected the correct type of document to initiate the case you are filing. The system looks at the Document type field to determine if the correct document type has been uploaded.
12. On the Review page, review the filing for accuracy. Select a document link to open and view any of your uploaded files. Select the [Continue] button when you are ready to proceed.
    
    Note: The Notes to Clerk text entry field functions like a virtual sticky note on your filing. Anything entered in this box is displayed to the clerk while they process your filing but is deleted once your filing is accepted. These notes are not permanently saved to the case.
13. On the Ready to file page, select the checkbox next to the filings(s) you wish to submit or a county name to submit all filings in that county. Choose a Payment type (if applicable), and select the [File] or [File and Pay] button.
    
    Note: If you have set up a court debit account (CDA) with the circuit court you are filing in, you can choose a payment method. To learn how to set up a CDA, see the Creating and managing a court debit account user guide. You are responsible for ensuring that proper funds are available in the account when filing.
    A transaction fee will be applied to the total if paying with a credit/debit card or eCheck via the US Bank ePayment website.
    If filing on behalf of a county agency, the $35 eFiling fee will be waived, and a payment type selection will not be required. Simply select the [File] button to submit the new case filing.
14. On the Filings submitted page, select the [Make payment with US Bank] button to proceed to the US Bank ePayment website and pay the associated filing fees. If fees were not assessed, the button displays as [Return to main menu] instead.
    
    Note: Once you have advanced to this page, do not close your browser window or take a break. Selecting the [File and pay] button at the bottom of the previous page initiates a connection with the US Bank ePayment website that exists for 10-15 minutes. If you wait longer than that to complete your payment, or exit the system before the payment process is complete, you will not be able to return and pay for your filing(s).
    US Bank is the vendor that processes circuit court credit card and electronic check transactions. You do not need a US Bank checking or savings account to pay for filings on the US Bank ePayment website. You can pay using a Visa card, MasterCard, or electronic check.
15. Once payment is received, the circuit court processes the new case. You will receive an email confirmation and the file-stamped document(s) will be visible on the My cases page of the eFiling website. The eFiling system generates an Electronic Filing Notice that will be printed and served traditionally along with other case initiating documents.