Illinois and Electroinic Access to Court Files

I know that I have been blogging about this issue a fair amount lately. However, I think that it is the one area that can most dramatically improve our practice as well as our efficiency.

Last night I had dinner with, among others, an attorney from another state. At one point in the evening, the topic of conversation turned to efiling and electronic access. When I explained the electronic access availability that we have in Illinois (which, for all intents and purposes, is nonexistant), he was dumbfounded. When I explained to him that, to get a copy of a document from a court file, I have to physically travel to the courthouse, I bet I could have knocked him over with a feather.

It is disappointing to see that Illinois is so far behind the curve on this issue. It is refreshing to see, however, that a disinterested third party shares my opinions on the abysmal state of efiling and electronic access here in the Land of Lincoln.