Tacoma Municipal Court First to Launch Modern Case Management, eFiling Systems for WA Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
In a successful launch that will help smooth the way for other Washington courts of limited jurisdiction (CLJs), the Tacoma Municipal Court in October 2023 became the first CLJ in the state to implement a suite of modern case management, probation management and eFiling systems. Courts of limited jurisdiction include district and municipal courts.
The new systems improve data access and sharing, processing of financial transactions, provide full case management and electronic filing functions, and the first probation management system in Washington courts. Tacoma’s pilot implementation resulted in a major shift for the court from paper to electronic documents.
The Enterprise Justice case management system replaces a 40-year-old case processing system developed by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in the 1980s. In addition to Enterprise Justice, the modernization includes the eFile & Serve electronic filing system and Enterprise Supervision probation management system.
The products from Tyler Technologies have been configured by AOC’s Courts of Limited Jurisdiction Case Management System (CLJ-CMS) Project team to meet the specific needs of Washington’s CLJ courts. Tyler Technologies also developed the Odyssey case management system now used by most Washington superior courts.
“I think the ‘go live’ process went smoothly because we were prepared, and we were well-supported by the AOC staff. We were surrounded by AOC project team members who guided our court staff throughout the entire process,” said Tacoma Municipal Court Administrator Michelle Petrich. “We continue to learn new things every day, solve problems, and get better at working in the new system.”
Next up is a second stage of pilot implementation, followed by the first phase of statewide implementation. Timelines for these phases are being developed now that the successful implementation at Tacoma Municipal Court has demonstrated the system works well, and has provided a great deal of insight that can be put to use in the coming implementations.
“Everything we have implemented during this go-live has helped our project team and vendor provide a better product and better implementation process to be carried forward to other district and municipal courts,” said CLJ-CMS Project Manager Garret Tanner.
“We have learned from the trial and error of pilot implementation, which will make the on-boarding of other courts a smoother transition,” said Washington Supreme Court Justice Barbara Madsen, chair of the Judicial Information System Committee (JISC), a governing body which oversees major technology projects of the judicial branch. “On behalf of the Supreme Court and the JISC, I want to say how grateful we are to everyone who has helped us to make this giant leap forward for the courts in our state.”
Making the Transition
After the October 23rd launch, Tacoma Municipal staff members spent three weeks operating in and learning the new systems with on-site, daily support from members of AOC’s CLJ-CMS Project team and Tyler Tech team.
“My experience has been great. The system is easy to use and appears to be well-thought out,” said Presiding Judge Drew Henke. “Change is always difficult, but this transition has been much less difficult than I was anticipating. I am excited to keep moving forward with this system.”
Justice Madsen visited during implementation and observed staff members using the system, also dropping in on courtrooms where judges and bailiffs were using such components as Judge Edition. “It was gratifying to see the success of the implementation after a long road,” Madsen said.
“The CLJ-CMS project has been years in the making. There are so many people to thank for reaching this milestone,” Madsen said. “Through the pandemic, the gaping deficit and staff shortages, the steady hands of ISD Director Vonnie Diseth and AOC Director Dawn Marie Rubio brought this long-needed system to life.”
Justice Madsen also expressed appreciation for Tacoma Municipal’s leadership. “I am so proud of the Tacoma Municipal Court (TMC) for its pioneering spirit and agreeing to be in the lead. From the great leadership of the TMC judges to the administrator, managers and staff, to the public defenders, and prosecutors using the system, it took everyone working together as a team. They really showed grit.”
The project will implement additional features in 2024 such as Clerk Edition, a program which makes in-court processes smoother and faster for court clerks.
Petrich said the transition to a modern system has been a good experience.
“The experience of being a pilot court for the CLJ-CMS project has definitely been a positive one. The successes that we have experienced far outweigh the minor challenges,” she said. “This is a very exciting time for our CLJ courts. We have received a huge amount of support from other courts around the state. The relationships that have been built throughout this process are forever.”
Project Background and Oversight
Proposals to update case management and implement eFiling for Washington CLJ courts date back to about 2012, with an early project team being assembled in 2014. Identifying components of the project and system requirements, legislative approval and funding, contract negotiations (one unsuccessful), and later additions to the project have followed. A contract with Tyler Technologies was signed in late 2020, when configuration began. The project is overseen by the Judicial Information System Committee (JISC), and the CLJ-CMS Project Steering Committee, with extensive input from the CLJ-CMS Court User Workgroup. Many questions about components of the project and system are answered on the project FAQ page.
Read more from our annual State of the Judiciary report.
