Scotland court official asks for patience during eCourts launch

LAURINBURG — Beginning Oct. 14, the court system in Scotland County will be going live with eCourts.

eCourts is an initiative by which nearly all court records across the state will be stored electronically rather than on paper. The plan is also called “Odessey” and was created by a company called Tyler Technologies.

After the kickoff, lawsuits and court papers must be filed by emailing the electronically prepared documents to the clerk’s office and paying any fees online. When the case is decided, the judge will sign the court’s judgment using a keypad.

This changeover will be the biggest technology challenge the courthouse has ever seen, according to Scotland County Clerk of Superior Court W. Philip McRae. Preparation has been underway for months and during the last 30 days it has become very hectic, he said.

“Often half the staff has been in Fayetteville for training while the other half runs the office,” McRae stated. “Everybody has been overloaded and tempers have occasionally flared. Our constituents have trouble getting through to us by phone. The office has fallen further and further behind and started requiring appointments. Every aspect seems to make no sense and stuck in molasses at times. And the plan hasn’t even begun.”

McRae said looking back, many people will feel that the new process has many “good qualities and well worth the effort.”

“For example, everybody will be able to litigate and access records online without traveling to the courthouse,” McRae stated.

The Clerk of Court said that the day eCourts goes live and the first few days following will be the worst.

“It may take hours or days to handle what used to be simple tasks,” he said. “The clerks office will appear to be incompetent. Everybody will be frustrated. There will be many similarities to the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel.

“However, things will eventually improve as everybody catches onto the new system.”

More information may be examined by logging onto www.nccourts.org. The clerk of court asks that the public be patient and understanding.

“Eventually the system will become second nature,” McRae said. “Speed and accuracy will improve.”