Beginning January 1, 2018, e-filing of all civil cases in Illinois will be mandatory. With the deadline fast approaching, the Montgomery County Circuit Clerk's office wants to make sure that court users are not caught off guard.

The Illinois Supreme Court mandates that all users file electronically, including those who aren't represented by an attorney.

We want to encourage learning and utilizing the system early, said Circuit Clerk Holly Lemons. "I don't want users to run into issues once the mandate is here." She added that if users "get on board ahead of schedule and do encounter issues, they can have them worked out prior to the mandate."

Montgomery County was among the first in the state to be approved for e-filing as a pilot county. Lemons says those using the e-filing options have given great feedback.

E-filing allows for the filing of civil court documents electronically over the internet rather than on paper. Filings and payments are made electronically, which will help improve the efficiency and services to attorneys and the public. This will also effectively extend the court's hours of operation, even pushing filing deadlines to midnight on court business days.

More information can be located on the Montgomery County Circuit Clerk's website at montgomeryco.com/circuit-court-clerk.