Trial Court to launch eDelivery of documents and notices
The Trial Court has announced that it will launch eDelivery to electronically send documents and notices to attorneys in a gradual implementation that begins on Jan. 11, 2021.
This new eCourts initiative is part of a larger effort to digitize court operations and transition to a paperless environment. eDelivery will speed notification to attorneys and capture these communications in MassCourts.
The Trial Court will start slowly with a small number of Trial Court documents to ensure success. Court departments and IT have identified a first group of notices and documents for electronic delivery to attorneys. The first group is available here. All other documents will continue to be sent by paper through the mail.
Attorneys of record will be automatically enrolled in eDelivery using the email address each attorney has on file with the Board of Bar Overseers, the same email address used to access the MassCourts attorney portal to see their cases. Attorneys may choose to opt out of eDelivery if they want to continue to receive all notices and documents by mail.
Departments will add documents/notices and MassCourts eDelivery capability will expand during the year, and the Trial Court expects to be able to send attorneys a majority of documents and notices electronically by the end of 2021. The Trial Court also expects to add this capability for self-represented litigants later this year.
All information and documents for the eDelivery process can be found at
https://www.mass.gov/edelivery-in-the-trial-court.
Next week, the Trial Court will email all active BBO members to explain the eDelivery initiative, encourage them to verify and update their BBO email address to participate, and explain how they would opt out, if preferred.
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Land Court launches pilot on public images on Masscourts.org
Trial Court Chief Justice Paula M. Carey and Court Administrator Jonathan S. Williams have announced that the Land Court is implementing a pilot project to make its MassCourts document images available for the public to view on the Trial Court’s eAccess public portal, at Masscourts.org. This pilot provides greater access to court records for self-represented litigants, as well as members of the public, without the requirement to log in as a registered attorney.
As with physical case files, any court documents or records that have been impounded or restricted from public access will be inaccessible on the eAccess public portal. Additionally, not all Land Court case documents and records have been digitally imaged in MassCourts, and such documents may, accordingly, not be available through the eAccess public portal at this time. Attorneys, parties and members of the public may continue to request access to public case records maintained by the Land Court through other available channels, such as record and copy requests to the Land Court Recorder’s Office.
If you have questions, reach out to the Land Court Recorder’s Office by phone at 617-788-7470, or the Virtual Recorder’s Office, available via Zoom at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/land-court-virtual-recorders-office.
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Job Opening
Deputy general counsel of appeals at the Department of Children and Families
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is seeking a dynamic, service-minded and experienced legal professional to fill the role of deputy general counsel of appeals.
The selected candidate must be a member of the Massachusetts bar and will represent the agency in the Appeals Court, Probate and Family Court, and Superior Court on administrative appeal cases, and before administrative agencies, such as the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and the Board of Registration. The individual hired will also perform other related work of the general counsel’s office.
For more information and to apply, go to: https://bit.ly/2JBQkME.