The Kane County Circuit Clerk’s Office is about to implement a new, state-of-the-art case management system — and that means some big interim changes for case scheduling and document processing from the Circuit Clerk’s Office and the courts.

The much-anticipated Odyssey Case Management System from Tyler Technologies is set to “go live” on Dec. 5. Two years in the making, the judicial management system has been described as the most comprehensive and extensive of its kind in the Midwest — an integrated system that allows data to flow from one agency to the next seamlessly, thereby reducing duplication of effort and resources.

“We are very excited about the customer service and cost efficiency benefits this new system will provide,” Circuit Clerk Tom Hartwell said. “And this new system is designed to be much more adaptable over time as we continue to see changes in Illinois Court requirements and in the technology available to applications such as ours.”

For an idea of how the system works and why it saves taxpayers’ money, take a look at the embedded YouTube video.

A technology transition of this magnitude doesn’t happen easily or overnight. The Kane County Circuit Clerk’s Office and the 16^th Judicial Circuit Court process more than 25,000 case files each month and the Circuit Clerk’s Office handles 5,500 phone inquiries per month from citizens, court officials and attorneys. So the transition from one system to the other is likely to cause some inconvenience and a slower process for anyone involved in the court system, from jurors to defendants to lawyers to judges.

That’s one of the reasons the data conversion is taking place during the holiday period and why there are reduced case loads during the conversion.

Here’s a graphic look at the transition period from Nov. 20 to Dec. 17:

From Nov. 28 to Dec. 4, the Circuit Clerk’s Office and the courts will handle scheduling and forms the old-fashioned way — often using pen and paper to replace the computerized form filing. That will allow the Circuit Clerk’s Office to shut down of the old legacy system and transfer data to the new system, where the data will be verified and configured.

The manual-operations period will affect any document filed or entered by the court. Online inquiries through the Kane County Circuit Clerk e-Services Portal may still be used for anything entered prior to Nov. 28 but will not reflect activities between Nov. 28 and Dec. 4.

Credit card payments will not be accepted by the Circuit Clerk’s Office or the courts from Nov. 16 through Dec. 4. This period provides for deployment of a new processing system, which will become active along with the Odyssey system on Dec. 5.

From Dec. 5 and beyond, the Circuit Clerk’s Office will handle all Civil Court and Family Court scheduling. Guidelines are available on the the Circuit Clerk’s website for how to schedule cases under the new system.

A new solution for credit card bond payment at Kane County law enforcement agencies is part of the transition. More information about the new solution is available from the Circuit Clerk’s Office.

A new electronic citation system for Kane County law enforcement agencies is planned for deployment shortly after the Dec. 5 Odyssey “go live.”

Electronic case filing will be available in Kane County after the first of the year through the eFileIL, the Illinois Court’s mandatory electronic filing system.

Get E-Mail Updates

The Circuit Clerk’s Office invites court system users to subscribe to its new Email Update program by visiting the “Contact Us” area of the Circuit Clerk’s website. Mobile users can simply text CIRCUITCLERK to 22828. Questions may be posed by emailing circuitclerk@co.kane.il.us.

About the Kane County Circuit Clerk’s Office

The circuit clerk is a constitutional officer who is elected, every four years, by the voters of Kane County. The duties and responsibilities of the Circuit Clerk’s Office are established by state statute, as well as by the Illinois Supreme Court, Administrative Office of Illinois Court and local rules set forth by the chief judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit.

By law, the circuit clerk’s primary function is to establish, maintain and keep all records of court and the court seal.

In addition to court related duties, the clerk is responsible for a number of administrative, financial and public services.

Mission Statement

The mission of our office is to provide for the public, bench and bar a means of managing the receipt, maintenance and security of the court record, and all judicial management information.

The office of the Circuit Clerk of Kane County is committed to providing services to all of our customers in a courteous, timely, ethical and cost-effective manner. For more information, visit the Circuit Clerk’s Office website.

SOURCE: Kane County Circuit Clerk’s Office news release