Self-represented litigants and attorneys in probate cases can now submit, manage, share and present evidence from their own cell phone - thanks to a new digital evidence portal called Case Center.
Case Center, a Thomson Reuters technology product, allows all participants in a case the ability to log in and manage evidence outside of the courtroom from any Internet-enabled device. Once evidence is uploaded, the parties and the Court will have immediate access to all exhibits.
“All parties benefit from the new digital evidence platform, including litigants, clerks and judicial officers,” said Probate/Mental Health Associate Presiding Judge Geoffrey Fish. “Case Center has been in use in Family, Civil and Criminal for some time and has been an extremely successful process in the submission and use of evidence during contested hearings. It made sense to bring Case Center to the Probate Department.”
Since Case Center was introduced in Family, Civil, Probate and Criminal Departments, the court has experienced fewer delays, reduced the amount of paper submitted and improved efficiency for the court and litigants.
“In the past, an opposing party would not be able to see what exhibits had been submitted by the opposing side. Through Case Center, all parties can see what exhibits have been loaded by each party when they are loaded. This way, evidentiary issues can be dealt with quicker and more effectively,” Judge Fish said.
By using Case Center, the court streamlined the evidence management process. Courtroom clerks initiate the case in Case Center and then email the participants an “invitation” (or link) that they follow to upload their exhibits. Clerks spend significantly less time at the start of hearings marking and organizing exhibits and creating exhibit lists. Also, parties can review, annotate and share documents before court so they are better prepared for hearings.
“Case Center is a great tool for pro per litigants and court staff. Probate cases are predominately conducted virtually, and case center is an amazing tool that optimizes efficiency. We know our clerks love it - true time and money saver,” said Stacy Heras, courtroom assistant to Judge Fish.
During both in-person and virtual hearings, attorneys and self-represented litigants can present their evidence or display their presentations with the click of a button. The digital platform also automatically timestamps, organizes and numbers exhibits. Additionally, Case Center performs optical character recognition on all exhibits, which allows any party or judicial officer to search all exhibits for a specific word or phrase.
Judicial officers also appreciate having access to exhibits before, during and after a hearing. They can rule on preliminary motions about whether exhibits should be allowed, follow along during a hearing and quickly access exhibits after a hearing to write their rulings.
In 2021, the Arizona Supreme Court approved the use of the digital evidence portal for use in all Arizona Superior Court and Limited Jurisdiction Court locations.
For more information on Case Center, please visit: https://superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/departments/superior-court/probate/case-center/