All Aboard? Electronic Filing and the Digital Divide

Donald E. Shelton

Abstract

There still exists a large part of our population that is not connected to the internet or even familiar with comoputer usage. While electronic filing of court documents can be an important tool to make our justice system both more accessible and more efficient, the decisions we make about the way an electronic filing system operates will dramatically affect whether it meets either of those goals. If we do not design a system that is attractive and usable by the Bar and the general public, it will not be used. If we do not design a system that is widely used by both attorneys and self-represented litigants courts will be forced to process both digital and electronic documents and the resulting process can be even less efficient than the current system.