Public Information Office 210 S. McDonald Street Suite 626 McKinney, Texas 75069 www.collincountytx.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 10, 2005

Collin district and county clerks make electronic filing a reality

(McKinney, TX) – Attorneys in Collin County now have the ability to submit and serve their civil documents to the district courts and county courts electronically. This new service is offered to filers through the respective district clerk’s office and county clerk’s office and www.TexasOnline.com, the official website of the State of Texas.

Hannah Kunkle, District Clerk, says, “We are anticipating that e-filing will be a valuable tool in the future when an integrated court management system is implemented. I am confident that we will one day be paperless and this is the first step in accomplishing this goal.”

“We are excited to bring electronic filing to the attorneys in the Collin County area,” says Brenda Taylor, County Clerk. This new service reduces paper and improves processing for attorneys, legal secretaries, paralegals and the courthouse staff. With this new capability, the system is always open for filing.”

Electronic filing enables filers to submit civil documents through the Internet without printing, standing in line or hiring a courier. Filers can send documents via a secure website 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any location with Internet access. The Texas electronic filing rules allow filers to submit most documents up to 11:59pm and still meet the filing deadline.

Once a document is e-filed, the clerk’s staff can access the document through the TexasOnline system. Clerks are able to process electronic filings anytime throughout the day, which helps avoid the end of day rush that often occurs. Regardless of when the clerk accepts the document, filers receive credit for the time and date stamp applied to the document when the filer clicks the submit button. This process allows the clerk and attorneys a tool to manage time and resources.

To e-file in Collin County, an attorney registers with one of the certified service providers. The current providers are CaseFileXpress, ProDoc, LawPlace, MyFileRunner and USCourtForms. Once registered, attorneys can e-file in Collin County as well as other participating counties in Texas, such as the Harris District, Bexar District, Dallas County and Probate, Fort Bend County, Guadalupe District and County, Hidalgo County, Tarrant County and Probate, Upton District and County, Cameron District, Bee District, and Potter District courts. Several other counties are scheduled to start later this year.

An added plus for attorneys is the ability to electronically serve copies of documents to other parties in the case, saving staff time and the expense associated with mailing or delivering paper copies.

Please visit www.TexasOnline.com for more information.

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