One of the most important ways courts can move cases to resolution while prioritizing safety and access is to use triage: Evaluating cases early on to determine the best pathway toward resolution.
Triage systems are currently being used primarily in family courts, where considerations like whether children are involved in a divorce, whether all parties are being represented by legal counsel, whether the defendant has reasonable ability to pay fines/fees, etc. are all taken into account when determining the best way for a case to proceed.
Triage programs like Alaska’s Early Resolution Program (ERP) have proven to be successful in maximizing case flow efficiency and resolution.1 Other states and counties have similar programs in progress or in practice, and while the idea of triage isn’t new, some of the approaches are.2
The game-changer? Technology. Courts and jurisdictions are now asking not only how we should triage, but can we do it more efficiently? And Should we?
Automating a manual process always comes with its challenges and even some initial opposition, but in the case of triage, yes, you can automate, and yes, you should.
Why? Automating tasks helps you capitalize on your team’s knowledge and skills, allowing them to focus their energy on the parts of their job that truly require human intervention and interaction. Putting in the time to set up your triage system in JWorks helps your caseflow run smoothly and stay on track, and it sends cases down the best pathway for resolution depending on their specific circumstances.
Not only that, when your triage system is embedded in your case management system, changes in case circumstances are captured in real-time and can automatically adjust the case’s pathway as needed.
Every jurisdiction’s triage needs are different, and an out-of-the-box solution doesn’t make sense. Once your team has determined the criteria and pathways that work for your court, you can configure JWorks workflows to accommodate your triage needs.
Ready to get started? We’re here to help. Talk to our team of experts about how your court can move cases to resolution more efficiently with automated triage through workflows. Contact us today.
1 Self-Represented Litigation Network
2 National Center for State Courts
