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Connectivity: Court & LSJ Agencies access to ECR

Connectivity: Court & LSJ Agencies access to ECR

2000-2002

Following establishment of Core ECR within the Clerk's Office, the next phase was providing King County’s courtrooms and Law, Safety, and Justice (LSJ) agencies with access to electronic case files. Connectivity was provided via the King County Wide Area Network (WAN), which provided judges and LSJ agencies desktop access to electronic records. The Connectivity phase required both technological gains and, equally importantly, it required tremendous communication efforts.
Connectivity through Technology

With Core ECR in place, providing desktop access to court records that were already electronic to those connected to the King County WAN was a somewhat straightforward technological process. After business analyses established the most effective resources, courtrooms and LSJ agencies received printers and PCs providing them with access the electronic record via the ECR Viewer application.

Connectivity through Communication

Successful transition requires strong communication. While judges and those in partner agencies generally looked forward to having more efficient access to court records, they also had concerns about reliability, security, and the effects of technological change. To address these concerns, during the Connectivity transition the Clerk's Office focused its efforts on marketing and communication. Judges, courtroom staff, and partner agencies were involved early in the process, working directly with the Clerk's Office to develop a useful user interface for the ECR Viewer. Where possible, changes were piloted and focus groups were conducted prior to implementation, to provide an opportunity for early feedback. Liaisons from the Clerk's Office were assigned to each group in order to address individual concerns most effectively. Once Connectivity began, the Clerk's Office identified training opportunities and provided multiple CLEs and Brown Bags.

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