ECF has not yet been accepted for widespread implementation by other courts-and may also be too limited for use in large courts with a varied litigant base, such as the Central District of California. Over the next year, the court will be evaluating the success and failure of existing systems and begin implementation of its own electronic filing system. Electronic filing, video hearings, and other aspects of virtual courts do not occur easily. The court needed to resolve numerous technical as well as nontechnical issues. It had to change court culture, manage expectations, transition from legacy systems, and teach the court team and outsiders how to use the new system.
More work remains to be done.
Generally, courts are conservative and highly resistant to change. Yet courts can utilize technology to dramatically improve access and assist with legal proceedings. In the court, everyone has worked very hard to fit the technology to the court's culture and to mimic the best aspects of existing systems and practices. Virtual court is working now, and it is expected to continue to grow. Copyright 1999, Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine .