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MASSACHUSETTS TRIAL
COURT TO UNVEIL MASSCOURTS;
NEW STATEWIDE CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO BE SHOWCASED IN
DEMONSTRATION AT STATE HOUSE ON JANUARY 29
Boston, MA--Chief
Justice for Administration and Management Barbara A. Dortch-Okara
today announced that the Massachusetts Trial Court will unveil
its new comprehensive, integrated case management system called
MassCourts in a demonstration for Legislative
and Executive Branch representatives, the media, and other
interested individuals at the State House on Wednesday, January
29 at 11:00 a.m. in Room B-1. Chief Justice Dortch-Okara,
Superior Court Judge Timothy Hillman, who is overseeing the
information technology project, and David V. Mastran, the
Maximus Chief Executive Officer, will speak at the event.
Last
week Chief Justice Dortch-Okara announced to members of the
Massachusetts Bar Association at their annual meeting that
the Trial Court entered into a contract with Maximus of Reston,
Virginia, to provide a statewide case management system for
all seven Trial Court departments, including the Boston Municipal,
District, Housing, Juvenile, Land, Probate and Family, and
Superior Courts, and the Office of Commissioner of Probation.
MassCourts
will replace 15 existing legacy systems that are presently
in use throughout the Trial Court. The contract will be funded
through a $75 million bond bill authorized by the Legislature
in 1995 to acquire and implement a comprehensive information
technology system.
The
selection of Maximus is the culmination of a competitive vendor
selection process that commenced last June.
"We
are excited to be entering into this partnership with a nationally
recognized leader in the provision of justice solutions. MassCourts
will provide fast, accurate information services to the bar
and citizens of the Commonwealth. It also is important to
note that in this time of fiscal crisis, MassCourts
is being funded from the bond monies, not through the annual
appropriation process,"said Chief Justice Dortch-Okara.
Since
1995, much progress has been made throughout the Trial Court
to prepare the courts for a new integrated system, including
the purchase of more that 4,000 computers, the development
of an infrastructure that includes central servers, and wide
and local area networks, the development of web-related applications,
including a public web site (www.state.ma.us/courts),
and an intranet site which includes systemwide e-mail. A key
web-related application developed by the Trial Court provides
for the Boston Police Department to electronically file applications
for criminal complaints with the Boston Municipal Court.
MassCourts
will collapse 15 legacy systems currently in use in each of
the Trial Court Departments into one robust central case management
system to enable all Trial Court Departments and divisions
to have common functionality and the ability to communicate
with one another.
The
new system will provide numerous benefits to members of the
bar and public. Attorneys will have the ability to check court
calendars, schedule motions and trials, examine court dockets,
and electronically file pleadings from their personal computers.
MassCourts also will provide technology to the
Trial Court to image documents filed in a case so that the
contents can be accessed from a personal computer. The public
will be able to access case information easily and quickly
through the use of these same applications.
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