Wisconsin eFiling Update
March madness . . . or late winter angst
Maybe a little bit of both. While this is surely an exciting time for basketball fanatics, most of us are ready to say "gah-bye" to what's left of winter. Well, if couch-potato-point-guarding isn't enough to lift your spirits, perhaps the next eFile update will put a little pep in your step. Read on to learn about changes en route to the eFiling website and find out about additions to both the voluntary and mandatory eFiling lineup.
Mandatory probate and informal probate eFiling
On March 1, 2018, eFiling of formal (PR) and informal probate (IN) cases in Wisconsin circuit courts became mandatory for attorneys. The latest in a growing list, they join nine other case types that attorneys and high-volume filing agents are required to eFile in our state: civil (CV), small claims (SC), family (FA), paternity (PA), criminal (CF, CM, and CT), traffic (TR), and ordinance (FO) cases.
Piloting new case types
Guardianship (GN) and civil commitment (ME) case types are currently offered on a voluntary basis in Columbia and St. Croix counties. In addition, we plan to pilot voluntary eFiling for judgment and lien case types in the very near future. Enabling judgment and lien case types will allow:
- attorneys and designated filers to eFile new liens and judgments (CL, CO, FJ, HL, OL, and TJ case types), and opt in on existing eFiled lien and judgment cases;
- attorneys, designated filers, and non-party filers to complete actions, such as filing additional documents and docketing and satisfying judgments from the My cases or Non-party filing page of the eFiling website; and
- eFilers to file a Satisfaction of Judgment for CL, CO, FJ, HL, OL, and TJ case types and pay the associated satisfaction filing fee.
Visit our Participating counties page to learn about eFiling offerings by county and see when new case types will be available where you eFile.
What's on the horizon?
The next eFiling system update includes a handful of enhancements and added features that may impact the way you interact with the website. Here are the items of note:
- Multi-party access. Following the release, a filing agent or designated filer will have the ability to opt in to eFile for a party on a case even if an attorney has already opted in to eFile for that party as well, and vice versa. Currently, only one representative for a party is permitted to be eNotice.
- Third Party Summons and Complaint filing fee payment. eFilers will soon be able to pay the $117.50 filing fee via the eFiling website when a Third Party Summons and Complaint is filed on a small claims case.
- Filter and sort enhancements. Additional sorting and filtering functionality has been applied to the "My cases" list so that following the release, eFilers will be able to dial in on cases that are in "Filed only" status.
The more you know...
You've submitted your summons and complaint—crossed your Ts and dotted your Is. The legal ball is rolling. Everything is on course, and then, you realize that you need to make a change to (amend) your filing. Submission of an amendment to a civil or small claims summons and complaint is not uncommon and using the eFiling system, it's never been easier. Just log into the eFiling website and select the "File amended complaint" link on the applicable case on your My cases page. Then, follow the prompts to complete your amendment. A step-by-step guide that walks you through the process from start to finish is located here on our website.
Reach out to us!
Our knowledgeable staff is here to assist you. If you have questions along the way, call us at 1 (800) 462-8843, chat with us, or email us at eFileSupport@wicourts.gov. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @ CCAP_Wisconsin!