CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia today announced it has entered a contract with i3 Verticals, Inc. to create a new, unified case management and e-filing system for the state’s Circuit, Family and Magistrate Courts – a critical and long-awaited modernization for the state’s lower court system.
Under the contract, i3 Verticals’ CourtOneTM Case Management Solution (CMS) system will be installed across all three lower court systems, replacing separate systems used by those courts that are more than a decade old.
“We are excited to expand our collaboration with i3 Verticals on this critical modernization for our lower courts in West Virginia,” said Chief Justice William R. “Bill” Wooton. “The i3 CourtOneTM CMS will unite our Circuit, Family and Magistrate Courts under a single, more efficient system while also promoting cost savings and increased transparency for the citizens of West Virginia.”
In addition to promoting greater efficiency through a unified system, i3 Verticals will also deliver several value-added services that will streamline financial operations and improve the courts’ disposition rates. Additionally, the new system will allow greater access to aggregated public data through an expanded WVPASS online records system, which the Court had partnered previously with i3 Verticals to develop and implement.
“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia,” said Dave Graves, Executive Vice President, JusticeTech®. “Our relationship with West Virginia has always been rooted in collaboration. For decades, states have attempted to unify their judicial systems in ways that resulted in high costs to their citizens. West Virginia desired something different – an innovative solution that would unify their judicial system and deliver a high-quality product to their citizens, all at fraction of the historical net cost for these systems. We feel that our collaboration with West Virginia achieves these goals and creates a new model for the state market.”
This project to improve the lower courts’ case management system has been planned for several years as part of the Supreme Court’s ongoing modernization efforts. Once installed, West Virginia will be one of just a few states to have a fully unified e-filing and case management system in its lower courts.
“Our Court, including justices past and present, has been dedicated to improving our judicial branch’s technological infrastructure to the best extent possible in order to enhance how we serve the citizens of our state,” Chief Justice Wooton said. “I would like to thank legislative leadership for their collaboration over the past several budget cycles to allow our Court to responsibly plan and prepare for this much-needed technological upgrade within the constraints of our regular budget planning, allowing us to avoid having to come back to the Legislature for supplemental appropriations or other funding requests to pay for this expense. Their foresight and cooperation have been beneficial in allowing us to invest in this upgrade while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
The CourtOneTM Case Management Solution will be installed across the state’s lower court system in the coming year.
