Circuit clerk terminals get an upgrade

Last month, as a date featured in “Back to the Future II” caused a wave of 1980s nostalgia, the Cook County Circuit Clerk’s office worked on replacing relics from the same era: its public access computer terminals.

The replacement project wrapped up last week. Gone is the old DOS-style blocky letters and function-key navigation system lawyers have known at the Daley Center for decades.

In its place are touch-screen monitors displaying an interface similar to the circuit clerk Web page, with several new features and search options.

Running about $800 apiece, the 165 new digital access terminals replaced the old devices throughout the Daley Center’s court divisions and information desks.

It’s the biggest update the court’s electronic system has seen during Dorothy A. Brown's 15-year tenure.

On the old hardware, records could be searched by party name or case number. Now, users can search records by filing date and limit searches to a particular division — and see up to 1,000 results at a time.

The upgrade also allows users to check the status of a case on the Law Division’s black-line calendar. In that system, cases stay below a black line published in the Daily Law Bulletin while they’re in the discovery phase. Once a court-imposed time limit expires, the case moves above the black line and is supposed to be ready for trial.

The first screen patrons see when they call up a lawsuit highlights the case’s basic information: the caption, case type and number; its assigned division and judge; the number of parties and next scheduled court date; and the most recent or final order.

Scrolling down allows users to gain more detailed information about continuances, court dates, summons, parties and other motions and activity.

Brown said users who access the terminals are searching the same database as before; they’re just reaching it from a new front end.

Discussions to update the software began more than a year ago, Brown said. A solid project plan came about six months ago, and — in her words — she said she developed a “laser focus” on installment deadlines and receiving equipment within the last two months.

However, Brown said she has wanted a new user interface for a long time.

Brown said her office could put more focus on installing the terminals as other projects were completed.

“All the stars just aligned at the same time,” she said.

The devices were purchased with capital dollars the Cook County Board allocates yearly for equipment that holds a useful life for more than a year, Brown said.

While the court paid for the hardware, she said, the software design and installation were funded under the existing contract with the court’s vendor, Alabama-based On-Line Information Systems Inc.

The terminals are a part of the court’s e-court initiative, she said, which aims to make electronic court documents the official court record — should the Illinois Supreme Court approve such a change.

Installing the computers was step one, she said, and step two includes ensuring the court has the money, equipment and connectivity to put equipment on every attorney’s desk in every courtroom.

Brown said a decision from the high court could come within 18 months.

“We have a lot of things in place that permit us to go in that direction,” she said.

The first terminals, which appeared in the Law Division in mid-October, encountered some early issues with their connection to payment software so patrons could pay to print documents, Brown said. That slightly slowed the installation process, she said, as a technical team worked to fix bugs before continuing the rollout.

“Once we fixed that, there have been no problems after that,” she said.

At least one new terminal has experienced issues with power and system connectivity. Brown insists the outages are seldom.

Should other complications arise, Brown said, patrons are encouraged to notify court operations staff or call the clerk’s help desk during business hours at (312) 603-4357 to troubleshoot the issues.