RECEIVING MINUTE ENTRIES
The Clerk's Office is continuing its efforts to speed up the delivery of minute entries by expanding its Minute Entry Electronic Distribution
System (MEEDS) to interested law firms. MEEDS is a program that automates the entire court minute entry process for adult, and non-confidential
cases by sorting and electronically sending the entries from the courtroom clerk to the docket, website, and interested law firms.
Currently, there are more than 500 law firms representing more than 3,900 attorneys enrolled in the program. MEEDS provides law
firms faster service and saves mailing and printing costs for the Office. Prior to MEEDS, minute entries were manually printed and
sorted, and either mailed or placed in an area for pick-up.
VIEWING AND OBTAINING COPIES OF COURT FILES
The Customer Service Center (CSC) serves thousands of customers each year. Many of these customers come to obtain copies of a court file. To
meet the growing demand and increase the speed of service, the CSC provides customers with an opportunity to instantly view actual court
documents on computer monitors, rather than making a file request and waiting for staff to pull the file. The documents accessible at
these computers are scanned images - probate documents from active 1994 cases forward and all other case types from 2002 forward.
After viewing the documents, customers can select the images to be printed, go to the counter where they are printed, and pay the fee.
It saves time for customers and staff, and allows more than one person access to a file at the same time.
RECEIVING LIST OF NEW CASE FILINGS
To provide faster service to customers who want to receive copies of new case filings, the Customer Service Center is offering to send
them electronically on a weekly basis. To obtain the service, customers must pay an initial set up and weekly fee. Once enrolled, the
information is sent via email to the customer. Those interested in enrolling may call 602.506.3302.
CONVENIENT OPTION IN ACCESSING COURT FORMS
Electronic, Fax, or Print - These are various options for customers who need court forms. The Clerk's Office offers two of these options
and Superior Court provides the other for those in need of Civil, Family Court, Criminal, Juvenile, Financial, Probate, and miscellaneous
forms.
To obtain a form electronically, customers may visit the Clerk's website at
www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov/forms and select "eForms."
To obtain a form by fax, customers may call the Fax-On-Demand phone line at 602.506.0034 or 1.866.506.0034 for long distance:
Press 1 to order a catalogue of the available court documents; or
Press 2 to order the court
documents and receive the instructions. The requested items are sent to a designated fax machine.
The Superior Court also provides a Self-Service Center where court forms are available on-line or in hard copy.
There are four Self Service Centers: Downtown Phoenix (East Court Building / 1st floor); Mesa (Southeast Court complex);
Phoenix (Northeast Court) and Surprise (Northwest Court Complex).
NEW WEBSITE FOCUSES ON OFFICE'S ELECTRONIC ENDEAVORS
The Office launched a new website called "E-ventures," to provide information about the Office's Electronic Document Management System
(EDMS) initiatives. The website can be accessed at:
http://eventures.clerkofcourt. maricopa.gov/. The purpose of the website is to keep everyone who is impacted and/or has an
interest in the Office's electronic initiatives informed with up-to-date information, as
well as educate audiences about the various components of EDMS. Among the website's features are: information for specific users
(staff, courts, legal community, etc.); articles; e-terms; commonly-asked questions; and photos.
OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK
Clerk of the Court customers have the opportunity to help the Office improve its service by providing feedback through a customer
survey on the website. The public may access the survey at
www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov
and comment about the service they received at the Office. In addition, the Office also has survey cards available at each filing counter.
PROCESS SERVER INFORMATION MORE CONVENIENT
The Process Server Program improved its method on how an individual interested in becoming a process server can obtain the application
and other related information. The applications are now available on-line on
http://www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov/process_svr.asp.
Previously, the applications were only available in hard copy at the Southeast, Northwest, and Downtown filing counters.
In addition, all process server information and service was moved to Window 10 in the Central Court Building's Family Court filing counter area.
In 2002, the office began monitoring the certification of private process servers in Maricopa County. Among the responsibilities of this
function are processing the applications for all initial and renewal applicants, administering tests to initial applicants, and maintaining the
database of registered process servers.
FIND OUT IF THE COURT IS HOLDING MONEY THAT YOU ARE OWED
The Office has an on-line service that helps the public and businesses recover money that is owed to them. The new website feature is
available under "Unclaimed Property" on the Office's website at:
www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov.
It is designed so that users can simply enter their name or the name of their business to see if the Clerk's Office has any court-ordered
restitution monies or assets belonging to them. If so, they can print and complete the forms, and either fax them (602-506-5127) or mail
them to the Criminal Financial Obligations Unit (CFO) at 201 W. Jefferson, Phoenix, AZ 85003.
Frequently, individual victims of crime who are owed restitution move without notifying the Office. The CFO staff makes significant
efforts to locate those people who are owed money. However, with this new interactive web program, it increases and enhances the staff's
chances in locating victims.
ACCESSING INFORMATION ABOUT SUPPORT PAYMENTS
Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court Michael K. Jeanes and his 14 Arizona Superior Court Clerk colleagues a introduced a free,
24 hour-a-day statewide service that makes it convenient for their child support and spousal maintenance customers to retrieve information
about their support payments.
Called the "Statewide Support Payment Processing System," it is an Interactive Voice Response system that provides all Arizona private
(non-IV-D) child support and spousal maintenance customers with the date and amount of the most recent check posted, along with an option
of obtaining the same information on their last three checks.
"This service makes access to the court easier for our customers," Jeanes said. "Plus, there is no service charge to utilize it, it is
user-friendly, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it is convenient because you only need to make a phone call."
Following is how to access the Support Payment Processing Summary:
- Dial 602-506-1900 (for customers in Maricopa County) or toll free at 1-877-903-1900 (for customers outside of Maricopa County);
- Enter the 12-digit ATLAS case number; and
- Enter the zip code.
The system, which is available in English and Spanish, is based upon information received in an electronic format through the D.E.S.'s
Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) for each working/business day. The data base is updated daily at 7 a.m. The system is
designed to handle up to 24 calls simultaneously.
RETRIEVING SUPPORT PAYMENT INFORMATION
Clerk of the Superior Court Michael Jeanes introduced a free service that makes it more convenient for his customers to retrieve
information about their support payments.
The service, called the "Support Payment Summary," provides customers with a month-by-month summary of support payments via a fax machine.
Following is how the system works:
To access the Support Payment Summary;
- Dial 602-506-4755;
- Enter the 12-digit ATLAS case number;
- Press "1" if you are the recipient of the payment or "2" if you are the payor;
- Enter the zip code;
- Enter the fax number where it is to be transmitted;
- A summary of the payments listing the total amount paid each month will be transmitted; and
- The system will make three attempts to transmit the summary at 10-minute intervals.
COURT FORMS BY FAX
The Clerk's Office has a free service called, "Fax-on-Demand" that is designed to provide customers with court forms through the
convenience of their fax machine, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The service provides customers with a simple and convenient way to obtain many of the forms they need to conduct business with
the court. "It is saving time and money for the office, the customers, and the taxpayers," Clerk of the Court Michael Jeanes said.
The categories from which customers are able to order particular forms are: Civil, Family Court, Criminal, Juvenile, Financial,
Probate, and Specialty Court, as well as frequently requested forms such as a Fee Schedule, Marriage Application by Mail with
Instructions, and information on Self-Service packets.
The Fax-on Demand service works as follows:
- Dial 602-506-0034 or 1-866-506-0034 for long distance (Customers will be prompted through the procedure).
- Press "1" to order a catalogue of available court documents; (Customers will then enter the fax number where the catalogue is to be transmitted.)
- Press "2" to order court documents; (Customers will then enter the catalogue number(s) of the document(s) they want to order and then
enter the fax number where the documents are to be transmitted.)
- Press "3" to receive instructions; (Customers will hear instructions on how to use the new system and then have the option to again press 1 and 2.)
- The requested item(s) will be sent to the designated fax machine.
- The system will make three attempts to transmit the item(s) at 10-minute intervals.
Prior to this new system, a person needing court forms had to travel to either a stationery store or a legal forms store to purchase the court documents
or pick them up at the Self-Service Center at either court facility.
