Self-represented litigants and attorneys in Arizona probate cases can now submit, manage, share, and present evidence using a new digital evidence portal called Case Center, according to an April 15 announcement.
Case Center is a technology product from Thomson Reuters that allows all participants in a case to log in and manage evidence outside of the courtroom from any Internet-enabled device. Once evidence is uploaded, both parties and the court 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 its introduction across Family, Civil, Probate, and Criminal Departments, Case Center has helped reduce delays and paper submissions while improving efficiency for both courts and litigants. Judge Fish said that previously opposing parties could not see what exhibits had been submitted by each side until later in the process: “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.”
Courtroom clerks initiate cases within Case Center by emailing participants an invitation link so they can upload their exhibits directly. Clerks spend less time marking or organizing documents at hearings as a result. Parties are also able to review documents before court dates so they are better prepared.
Stacy Heras, courtroom assistant to Judge Fish said: “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.” The platform enables attorneys or self-represented individuals to present their materials with one click during both virtual or in-person hearings; it also timestamps exhibits automatically while allowing users to search through documents using optical character recognition.
Judicial officers benefit from having access before or after hearings so they can rule on preliminary motions or write rulings efficiently afterward.
The Arizona Supreme Court approved use of this digital portal for all Superior Court locations statewide beginning in 2021.
