A full team from the Division of State Court Administration attended the annual June conference of Clerks of the Circuit Courts in French Lick, offering formal presentations, an Internet Café, and on-site advice on a variety of issues affecting Indiana’s clerks.
“The annual conference provides a unique opportunity for the Division to work with clerks from across the state and bring them up to date on new rules, technology tools and to answer questions, provide guidance and get feedback,” said Lilia G. Judson, executive director of the Division.
The Division’s Judicial Technology and Automation Committee (JTAC) staff hosted an Internet Café and took clerks’ photos for a new edition of the Clerks’ Directory.
Sessions included demonstrations of the Odyssey Case Management System and other JTAC projects, including the BMV project which allows electronic filing of infraction records, electronic Marriage Licenses and e-Citations. To ensure clerks are aware of the Division of State Court Administration services, several sessions included overviews of its many different programs.
Jim Walker, STAD Director of Trial Court Services, spoke about the need to plan for emergency situations and the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) initiative that was begun after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. That information really hit home because it was just prior to the start of conference when severe flooding hit much of the state.
“We wanted to highlight the necessity to have plans in place for maintaining operations in a variety of circumstances, including the recent events that affected Indiana and its courts—floods, tornados and earthquakes,” said Judson.
One session included a primer on Indiana Trial Rule 77, which governs the clerks’ obligations with respect to court records. Kristin Donnelly-Miller, STAD Staff Attorney, outlined ways the Division can provide guidance on confidentiality concerns, case type assignment, bulk data distribution protocol, and court revenue reporting.
Tammy White, a C.P.A. with the State Board of Accounts, presented information on revenue reporting and distribution requirements. The State Board of Accounts and Division of State Court Administration will be working together to make revenue reporting more uniform, saving Clerks time and effort by eliminating duplication of effort.