Do You Want to Stay on the Court Filing Documents Subcommittee?

[roger.winters@mail.courts.wa.gov]

Hello,

You are one of the 26 individuals listed on the Roster of the Documents Subcommittee of the OASIS LegalXML Member Sections Electronic Court Filing Technical Committee.

As you know, this subcommittee has been inactive for awhile. A while ago we revised the Charter for the Subcommittee (please see it on the Subcommittees pages at the OASIS site-- http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/legalxml-courtfiling/courtfiling-doc/description.php -- or e-mail Roger Winters to request a copy). 

The Charter describes the new work that we want now to undertake. The committee has not gotten a good re-start on the work described there...yet. However, we are about ready to undertake that work. 

Please consider the new work of the subcommittee and let Roger know* whether you wish to remain on the Documents Subcommittee roster and, if so, in what role (i.e., Member, Observer).

Many court clerk representatives joined LegalXML initially expecting that XML tagging, using standard terms for key data elements, would provide a basis for automation in the Clerk Review process for court filings. Document imaging and electronic filing have brought substantial savings and efficiencies to many courts. Nevertheless, in the clerks office for most courts, people still manually review court filings, both to index them in the courts document management system and to enter data in the courts case management system. 

The Documents Subcommittee, once reconstituted, will focus attention on:
	standard XML tagging conventions for court filings,
	standard court case related data element names (i.e., verifying that NIEM contains all necessary terms),
	ways for tagging data elements when digital court filings are created,
	identifying the basics of automated handling of tagged data in the clerk review process
	working out the interoperability issues, requirements, benefits, etc., and
	developing at least an outline of a specification that would support courts in implementing such data capturing programs.

The subcommittees work will begin with documents and processes from courts in Georgia and Washington State for analysis, experimentation, and drafting suggested standards for consideration by the Electronic Court Filing Technical Committee. 

*If you wish to continue to be on this subcommittee, please let Co-Chair Roger Winters know by Monday, March 10, 2008 (send a message to him at roger.winters@mail.courts.wa.gov. Please indicate whether you wish to be an active Member or an Observer.) -- DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE, because that will send your message to the whole subcommittee-- unless you want the entire subcommittee to open, read, and get something from your response).  

Those who are interested in remaining on the subcommittees Roster will be retained. The rest will be removed by about Friday, March 14, 2008. A subcommittee conference call will be scheduled for a date soon after that point.

Please contact Roger if you have questions about this process. He can be reached by phone at (206) 296-7838.

Warm regards,

Roger

Roger Winters, Co-Chair
Washington State Courts

Rex McElreath, Co-Chair
Georgia Courts