In August, the NC Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), announced plans to create a new case management system called Odyssey Integrated Case Management System.
Andrew T. Heath (NCAOC director) stated in writing that “It’s part the North Carolina Judicial Branch’s transformative eCourts Initiative to take the state judiciary system from paper to digital.”
“Currently, anyone can visit a clerk’s desk and search on CIPRS (for infraction and criminal cases) or VCAP Inquiry for non-criminal cases. Graham Wilson, communications director at the NC Judicial Branch, explained that Licensed Remote Public Access users have the ability to obtain information through extracts or direct searches using other technologies.
Heath wrote that the new Odyssey suite would replace 40+ legacy systems and combine all these products into one streamlined solution for case management. This includes eFiling and financial management as well as document management for all types.
The entire judicial branch will use Odyssey, including judges, clerks, district attorneys and public defenders. File & Serve will be used by law firms to electronically file in the counties that have been made available on Odyssey.
All case types will be handled in Odyssey. Portal (the online search engine) will not allow searches for case information. This is because it only allows searches that aren’t confidential. Portal will provide information in criminal and civil cases, but not for juvenile cases. Wilson stated that the information will only be available for North Carolina superior and district court cases, from counties that have gone online on Odyssey.”
“Odyssey is being implemented in small groups of counties over a period of two to three years. Information from Odyssey and Portal will provide information about counties that are already live on Odyssey. Wilson stated that information from counties not yet live on Odyssey will be available in legacy systems.”
We are witnessing changes
Sarah Price, CourtLogic vice president, said that “a lot of people may not know these change are coming.” Fuquay Varina-based CourtLogic, 22 years old, provides North Carolina court data to clients via its remote public account. It also offers driving histories and other information from all over the country.
The AOC’s pilot launch of Odyssey in Harnett and Johnston, Lee and Wake counties was delayed while the vendor completes its development work and ensures that all court information flows to partners agencies such as law enforcement.
According to the AOC, the phased rollout of the remaining 96 counties will take about two years once the pilot counties are live. Mecklenburg will be the next county to go live following the four pilot counties. Access to records will continue to be available through the AOC’s Automated Criminal/Infraction System (ACIS), and Civil Case Processing System(VCAP) until counties are transitioned.
“The legacy or Odyssey system will be used for the next few years depending on the county you are in. Depending on the information you require, you will need to visit two places. Price stated that we will have a single-stop shop like we have always had.
Price stated that the company will connect to both systems to allow customers to search statewide. It will also access data from the other system behind-the scenes so clients don’t know they are accessing two systems when they do a statewide search. The results will be immediate, real-time and direct from the source.
“We will continue to provide the same information from the same source that we have used for the past 20 years. You don’t need to click anything new. Same access. Lee Lloyd, co-founder and president of CourtLogic, said that they use the same user interface. We don’t use any third-party databases. We have direct connections with the AOC. It’s easy to bill clients back.
Clients must enter a timekeeper for each search and a file number to identify their internal client matter. There is no minimum or setup fee and billing is monthly.
The Same as It Was Ever
Price stated that many younger lawyers don’t know we exist. They are still sending staff to the courts to check records. That is gone. Lawyers and their staff can log in to get instant access to North Carolina court records.
Lloyd recalled that, “When we started, we met with paralegals and attorneys across the state to make sure we created a service that would meet their needs.” “But, now, after all these decades, everyone knows that if a lawyer comes in to represent someone, and they have court data from CourtLogic, they know it was straight from the source.”
CourtLogic witnessed a surge in business during the pandemic. Lawyers were unable to access data and could not walk into courthouses. The number of divorce filings is up and there has been a boom in NC real estate, which has created a demand for the company’s real estate research.
“We are excited about all the possibilities that modernizing the court system will bring, including improved efficiency, collaboration and greater access to justice. We believe that this is an extremely positive move, but we also recognize that it is a major change for the legal profession,” Heath said.
Lloyd stated that “We are well prepared for the changes ahead, and there won’t be any interruptions, and you won’t have to change anything.”
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