TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Strategic Plan for Information Technology

The IT Committee, a joint advisory body chaired by Judge Deborah J. Saltzman, unanimously approved its Strategic Plan for Information Technology in February 2013. The plan focuses on the alignment of all future IT efforts of the Court with several key strategic priorities: enhancing services to internal and external stakeholders, including judges, chambers staff, Clerk’s Office staff, attorneys, debtors, creditors, and the public; maintaining a robust technical infrastructure that enables system security, innovation, and consistency within the district; and investigating and implementing techniques and strategies to reduce costs, eliminate waste, and maximize efficiency. The IT Strategic Plan initiatives were incorporated in the Court’s Strategic Plan for 2014-2019.

QR Codes Rolled Out

In 2013, the Central District began piloting the use of Quick Response (QR) codes as an alternative method for attorneys and others to download and view judges’ calendars. Based on the positive feedback generated by the pilot, the Court rolled out QR codes for all judges in the district.

Attorneys can now download calendars directly to compatible mobile devices to review or determine when the matter is going to be called. Once the calendar is downloaded, attorneys can search for a matter and quickly review the tentative ruling. Using QR codes limits the number of printed calendars that are generated and substantially reduces the expense and staff time required to produce the calendars.

The Court’s use of QR codes was featured in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts’ August issue of the Monthly Update newsletter for court unit executives and the October issue of the National Center for State Courts’ Court Technology Bulletin.

Looking forward, the Court is exploring the use of QR codes to provide targeted information to debtors, such as directions to 341(a) meeting locations, information for self-represented parties, and other important information included on the Court’s website.

Transcript Processing Revised and New File Download Site Created

On July 1, 2013, the Clerk’s Office launched a new process for requesting transcripts of court hearings. A list of Court-approved transcribers, a transcript request form, and information about transcripts were made available on the new “Transcripts” web page, accessible through the “Information” tab on the Court’s website.

Under the new transcript ordering process, parties requesting a transcript select a transcriber from the new expanded list of Court-approved transcribers and submit the Transcript Order Form to the Court. Court staff members no longer provide transcription fee estimates or collect transcription fees on behalf of the transcribers. Instead, the selected transcriber contacts the requesting party to provide a cost estimate, makes arrangements to collect the deposit, and uploads the recorded hearing from a secure Court server. Payments are made directly to the transcriber by credit card or other payment method. The new transcript ordering process significantly reduces Clerk’s Office labor, speeds delivery of transcripts, and provides customers with a choice of transcription agencies and payment methods.

Novell ZENworks Deployed

In January 2013, the Clerk’s Office completed its deployment of the Novell ZENworks Client application on all desktop computers district-wide. This application allows Help Desk technicians to remotely troubleshoot and diagnose computer issues anywhere in the Court, while end users’ monitors display the steps the technicians are taking to remedy their computers’ problems. This approach helps minimize downtime while waiting for a technician and allows Help Desk technicians to support staff in any location.

ZENworks was also used in the Court for the first time to send software updates to the Court’s computers. In 2013, the Clerk’s Office used ZENworks to remotely deploy Microsoft Office 2010, Adobe Acrobat XI Professional, SnagIt, and FeedDemon RSS to Court workstations and laptops throughout the district.

Mediation Program Technology Revamped

Throughout the 2012-2013 terms, the Information Technology Department and Mediation Program staff worked diligently on revamping the Mediation Program’s technology. The Clerk’s Office added a new “Mediator Information/Search” feature to the mediation page of the Court’s website, posted a panel membership application to the website, and replaced the software program used to track data from satisfaction surveys completed by participants at the conclusion of mediation conferences.

Microsoft Office 2010 Conversion

In April 2013, the Court retired WordPerfect, Word 2003 and Word 2007, and switched to Microsoft Word 2010. This transition came at a time when many agencies had already moved to Microsoft Word, and the Judicial Conference Committee on Information Technology recommended discontinuing WordPerfect, as well as the older versions of Word, as a cost-containment measure. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice standardized on Microsoft Word and discontinued its use of WordPerfect. In addition, the vast majority of bankruptcy law firms in the Central District of California use Microsoft Word exclusively. These factors, combined with the incompatibility of older file formats with new and emerging technologies, helped the IT Committee determine it was in the Court’s best interest to standardize on Microsoft Word 2010. Exceptions were granted for judges on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel and their chambers staff, who require access to WordPerfect.

The Clerk’s Office also successfully completed the upgrade to Microsoft Office 2010 for all chambers and Clerk’s Office staff. The upgrade and replacement of the software standardized the entire district on one work productivity suite. The Clerk’s Office saved valuable labor by deploying the software remotely using Novell ZENworks, a program that can simultaneously update all computers within the Court.

CM/ECF 5.1 Upgrade

The Clerk’s Office successfully completed a major upgrade to CM/ECF versions 5.0 and 5.1 during the weekend of April 19, 2013. The updated versions of CM/ECF provided additional features to increase productivity and efficiency. CM/ECF 5.1 incorporated a new $25 filing fee for transfers of claims that became effective on May 1, 2013. The upgrade enabled Court users to access CM/ECF Mobile Query from a mobile device, to search by case number or party name, and to perform a text search of the docket entries of a specific case.

New Release of Calendaring System - CIAO! 6.0

The Clerk’s Office uses CIAO! (Calendaring Information and Orders) to view, update, and maintain judges’ calendars. In April 2013, the Clerk’s Office upgraded its calendaring system to CIAO! 6.0. The upgrade, which made CIAO! compatible with Microsoft Word 2010, coincided with the rollout of Word 2010 to all Court staff. The new version of CIAO! incorporated visual and functional changes to the calendar. The monthly default screen enabled users to have a “weekly view” of the calendar, and exception dates became highlighted in pink to make them easier to identify. Other changes appeared on the “View Docket” and “View Related Documents” pop-up screens, which provided the user with a cleaner collapsed view of the docket, and the option to expand the view to include attachments to the main docket entry. CIAO! 6.0 was built on a new framework that improves the Clerk’s Office’s ability to support development of outstanding enhancement requests. CIAO! users now use their Lotus Notes IDs and passwords instead of separate CIAO! IDs and passwords.

Case Management Assist Implemented

The Clerk’s Office rolled out Case Management Assist (CMA), a CM/ECF companion software program that automatically distributes and reassigns work to Operations staff members. While the Operations Support team had been using CMA on a smaller scale since 2011, the program was made available throughout the district in 2013.

CMA was developed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma to distribute and reassign quality control work, track errors made by internal and external users, and monitor work performance. CMA can be customized to assign work by terminal digit, judge, team, random pooling, or a combination of methods. With CMA, users of CM/ECF no longer have to run reports in order to find the work assigned to them. Instead, CMA imports work from CM/ECF and displays it in each user’s “To Do” box. The improved efficiency in case processing that will result from the implementation of CMA should benefit the Court’s staff and stakeholders.

Real-Time Online Chat Program Initiated

In 2013, the Clerk’s Office phased in its new online chat feature to enable the public to request information in real- time. On August 26, 2013, a “soft” launch of the online chat feature was made available to registered CM/ECF users. An online chat icon, added to the CM/ECF screen, enabled registered users to ask questions online. The “soft” launch allowed the Clerk’s Office to measure the volume and range of users’ questions before the feature was officially announced. Questions are answered by Call Center agents at the Los Angeles Division, who often use prepared responses for commonly asked questions, providing direct links to the Court’s Local Bankruptcy Rules, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, and the most frequently requested forms.

Approximately 80 percent of questions received dealt with the Lodged Order Upload (LOU) program, CM event codes, courtroom services, and general procedural issues, while the remaining 20 percent of the questions dealt with CM/ECF, fees, and correcting improperly filed documents. Although it was launched with minimal publication, the program has generated significant interest from the external user community and very positive feedback.

eSR Software Tested at Los Angeles Division

Since 2010, the Court has been one of three test courts involved in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts’ (AO) Pro Se Pathfinder Project. The Pathfinder Project was established to develop a web-based program, eSR (Electronic Self-Representation), through which self-represented debtors can file petitions electronically.

During 2013, eSR went through rigorous internal testing and, together with the bankruptcy courts in New Jersey and New Mexico, the Court provided feedback to the AO’s programmers in order to improve the eSR program’s functionality. In addition, the test courts collaborated on a startup guide for bankruptcy courts wishing to implement eSR when it becomes available nationally.

Completion of internal testing of eSR is expected in 2014. The Los Angeles Division’s Self-Help Resource Center, with the assistance of Public Counsel, will begin to offer the new bankruptcy petition preparation and submission software at its public computer terminals. For the first time, debtors will be able to use the new eSR program to prepare chapter 7 petitions. The Self-Help Resource Center will recruit the first group of users from pro se debtors attending Public Counsel’s chapter 7 clinics.

Candidates will need to be comfortable using computers and interested in filing online. Court staff will assist with procedural or technical questions, while legal questions will be directed to volunteer attorneys. Debtors will still need to mail or hand-deliver payment, local forms, credit counseling certificates, copies of their IDs, and any applicable paystubs to the Court's Intake sections.

The Central District of California has the largest pro se population of any bankruptcy court in the nation. In 2013, nearly 20 percent of all self-represented bankruptcy filings in the United States were filed in the Central District. Self-Help Desks staffed by volunteers at each of the district’s five divisions offered needed assistance to self-represented parties. In 2013, the Los Angeles Self-Help Resource Center assisted over 1,269 debtors during the year, with over 250 attending their chapter 7 bankruptcy pro se clinic.

Automated Process for Issuing Summons in Adversary Proceedings Implemented

On September 23, 2013, the Clerk’s Office implemented an automated process for issuing a completed Summons and Notice of Status Conference in an adversary proceeding. Before the change, plaintiffs had been required to lodge a proposed form of summons in order to have a Summons or Notice of Status Conference issued in an adversary proceeding. Under the new process, the “Summons Issued” event code in CM/ECF creates a virtual summons, and the Clerk’s Office prepares the documents. Plaintiffs who are registered CM/ECF users now receive them electronically, by Notice of Electronic Filing, while those who are not registered CM/ECF users receive hard copies by mail. The new process also permits the scheduling of the initial status conference in CIAO! This change comes as the Clerk’s Office strives to maintain its customary level of public service with a reduced budget. Operating with fewer employees under the current budget constraints, the Clerk’s Office is looking for innovative ways to streamline processes with the help of automation. This update to CM/ECF cuts the time it takes to issue a summons and set it for hearing by 75 percent, reducing labor for Operations staff.

Check Capture Pilot Program

On February 19, 2013, the Northern Division began piloting the Check Capture component of OTCnet, the financial management system used by the Court to prepare and transmit check deposits to the bank. OTCnet has streamlined and improved the division’s check collection processes such as the data collection, reconciliation, research, and reporting processes are now fully automated. In addition, the ability to electronically settle checks without the added hassle of manual submission has saved time and eliminated armored car service costs for the division.

Additional Wireless Access Points Installed

In 2013, the Clerk’s Office improved the coverage and reception for users of the Court’s wireless network by installing additional wireless access points in all five divisions.

The Court Tweets

In 2013, the Court sent approximately 300 tweets to over 500 followers from its Twitter handle, @cacbnews. The tweets consisted of public notices, notices of sale, system updates, and other topical information. The Court’s tweets are accessible via Twitter or the Court’s website. Since the inception of its Twitter account, the Court has sent over 1500 tweets in an effort to improve communication to stakeholders.

Auto Closing Program Launched

Following extensive testing, the Court’s new Auto Closing program was rolled out in October 2013. Auto Closing, a web application developed by the Clerk’s Office, checks chapter 7 cases that have been automatically discharged against predetermined criteria and closes those that qualify. The program streamlines the closing function for chapter 7 cases and reduces labor for the Clerk’s Office, allowing the staff to devote more time to other important tasks such as managing and monitoring cases.

Records Management Digitizing Project

On October 7, 2013, the Records Management Digitizing team initiated a major project to digitize copies of the Los Angeles Division’s paper administrative and case records. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts’ Space and Facilities Division provided one-time funding for the project in FY 2014. The project involved digitizing, scanning, and processing all paper records located in the Los Angeles Division. Reducing the number of paper documents in storage, eliminating any excess or outdated files, and converting paper files to be stored electronically will allow the Court to minimize its space footprint while carrying out its mission. Electronic document storage will also provide enhanced search capabilities and remote access to records. Digitizing more than 4,400 boxes of administrative and case records, the Records Project is tentatively scheduled to be completed in December 2014.

Video over IP Transition

In early 2013, the Clerk’s Office began to migrate the Court’s videoconference systems from ISDN to the network internet protocol (IP). With ISDN, each endpoint connection incurred monthly charges and usage fees. Video over IP allows the Court to run video traffic over the existing DCN network, avoiding the charges and usage fees incurred by ISDN. All videoconferences now run on IP using the Court’s network infrastructure. The Court plans to migrate all courtroom video hearing systems to the IP protocol, which will result in additional savings to the Court.

In addition, the connection between PBX phone systems at each office was also reconfigured to run on the DCN network using IP (four-digit interoffice dialing). Calls between divisional offices using four-digit dialing no longer incur long-distance charges.

Additional Equipment Relocated to AT&T Internet Data Center

In February, Clerk’s Office staff relocated a second set of equipment to the AT&T Internet Data Center. The additional equipment supports the Court’s external servers, including LOU and CIAO! servers. The first set of equipment was relocated to the Internet Data Center in August 2012 to support the Court’s internal servers. The Storage Area Networks (SANs) at the Internet Data Center allow the Court to replicate critical data from all five divisions during a disaster. As a remote Disaster Recovery site, the AT&T Internet Data Center is preferable to a divisional office, since the Data Center provides faster network speeds, shared costs of staffing and technology resources, and managed security at the site.