Court Records

ODYSSEY Case Management System IS UPON US…

Snohomish County Superior Court and County Clerk are on track for their May 2, 2016 "go live" of the new Statewide Odyssey case management system (CMS).

In preparation for implementation of Odyssey, Superior Court developed a plan to reduce caseloads and project team members have been working with stakeholder groups to collaborate on the reductions needed for a successful implementation. Below is our plan for implementation: 
 
 

All parties are highly encouraged to utilize April 18-22 for regular court business other than trials. Continuances into the month of May will be limited to avoid overloading in the new system. Additionally, the Clerk requests that filings the week prior and the week following "go live" be limited, as much as possible, to avoid processing back logs and delays as staff adjust to the new system while working to continue to meet your needs.

Access to Court Files

One of the most impactful changes will be the elimination of the paper court file effective May 2, 2016. The current process for filing paper documents will not change at this time, however, once documents are scanned, a paper court file will not be created. Electronic access to court records via the Odyssey Web Portal (portal) will continue to be available for free in the Clerk’s lobbies at the main county campus as well as at their Juvenile Division located at Denney Juvenile Justice Center. Additionally, filing of Working Copies required by Snohomish County Local Court Rule 7(b)(2)(B) will also remain unchanged and will be crucial during this transition.

Access to electronic court records, which many of you already have through the Clerk’s EDMS (High View) subscription service, will now be offered through the portal. The portal provides access to publicly available court information and records (i.e. images) and can also provide elevated access to confidential cases for attorneys of record, by bar number as long as a Notice of Appearance has been filed in the

case. We encourage you to ensure you are current on the cases you are representing so that you will not have a disruption in viewing documents.

Registering for the Portal

Implementing the new portal will require changes to the Clerk’s current court record subscription service registration process. The most significant changes require the user to self-register and account management and access will now be centralized at the State Administrative Office of Courts (AOC); however, each registration will come to the Clerk first for review, approval, and subscription fee if applicable, prior to forwarding to AOC to complete the portal access process. A brief synopsis of the Clerk’s new portal registration process follows:

1) Select "Register" on the portal main page and then select the appropriate Clerk’s Office;
2) Complete registration form which will be available on Clerk website;
3) Complete the Snohomish County Clerk’s Electronic Court Records Access Subscription Agreement (one for each organization signed by all users) which will be available on Clerk website; and
4) Remit subscription payment for all non-government agencies.

The Clerk’s Office is working to pre-register all existing Clerk EDMS (High View) users in the new portal, so if you are a current user there is no action required on your part at this time. If you haven’t already been contacted, someone from the Clerk’s Office will be contacting you to confirm account information and to solicit your requests for additional users.

Access to the portal is available now for the four counties who have already implemented. Please use the following link if you would like to learn more about portal registration and functionality, or if you are interested in registering for access in one of the four implemented counties: 
     https://odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov/odyportal
 
"GO LIVE" Expectations
Please be prepared for the courts and clerks to be operating at a slower pace in May. Your patience with the court and clerk staff while they adjust to the new system and business processes are greatly appreciated.

We know that there will continue to be shifts in the courts and Clerk’s business processes as we adapt to the new system and improve efficiencies for all. Please look for future announcements regarding changes to local court and Clerk practices and procedures.

Additional updates and information can be found at: 
     www.snohomishcountywa.gov/Clerk 
 
  Questions regarding the project can be sent to: 
    SSC-CMSProject@co.snohomish.wa.us.