Clint Pentecost, with the Mississippi Electronic Courts, explains to members of the Pearl River County Bar Association and members of the county court system how the new e-filing system will work.
Photo by Alexandra Hedrick

At the Pearl River County Bar Association meeting on Tuesday, lawyers and members of the Pearl River County court system were given a look at the new electronic filing system that will be implemented in 2014.

Clint Pentecost with the Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) program explained the benefits on the new system, which was first implemented in Madison County in 2008, and demonstrated how lawyers would use the system.

Pentecost said the system is adapted from the electronic filling system used in federal district courts.

E-filing allows judges and attorneys to file and view documents 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and makes public access to court records more convenient, Pentecost said.

“The courthouse is now open 24 hours a day to file and view things” via Internet access, Pentecost said.

The Tenth Chancery District, which Pearl River County is a part of, is the first district to implement the e-filing district-wide, said a press release from the Tenth Chancery District.

“We certainly want to run our courts as efficiently as possible, and technology allows us to better track our cases. We want litigants to be served as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Tenth District Chancellor Dawn Beam, who is coordinating e-filing implementation.

“It’s a positive thing and a step ahead. We need to make certain we grow with the times. When technology makes it better for the attorneys, the courts, the people and the public and less costly for all the people involved, we need to move into that area and take advantage of the changes and technology,” said Buddy McDonald, Pearl River County Bar Association president.

“It will make the court system much more accessible to the public and the lawyers and will be of great benefit to the public,” said Joe Montgomery, a member of the Pearl River County Bar Association.

Electronic filing is currently used in 21 trial courts in 12 counties with more than 20 courts on the waiting list for the program.