The cost of entry is not high. Before we began, we did a phone survey of about 40 law firms, and they all had or could easily get this level of automation. In the maritime asbestos cases, approximately 50 attorneys account for the bulk of documents, although more than 400 attorneys are involved at various times. Training seminars were held for Ohio bar members and their response to the electronic filing project ranged from accepting to enthusiastic. For their benefit, the test system for the Asbestos Electronic Document Filing System has been set-up.
Attorneys have an opportunity to practice before running through the actual docketing process.
Of course there are issues that continue to arise due to the very nature of electronic filing. A court order says that the act of logging on and entering a password-all necessary to submit an electronic file constitutes a signature. Quality assurance spot-checking by the court will keep track. Response time on the Internet might become a concern sometime in the future but according to Bockweg, if it does, the court can fall back to its own phone lines. Last September, the Judicial Conference approved amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure allowing district courts to accept filings by electronic means as long as they are consistent with the technical standards, if any, that the Conference establishes.