PHOENIX -- At a time when many state and local governments face difficult financial situations, the Maricopa County Superior Court and Clerk of the Superior Court were looking for ways to increase efficiency by streamlining and automating, according to court officials. The Superior Court in Maricopa County, Ariz., is implementing an e-filing system in order to improve its legal processes and convenient access to court documents.

The court will deploy LexisNexis File & Serve, an electronic filing service for legal documents that provides courts and law firms with improved access to information, more control over filing and service activities, and the ability to maximize court resources.

Maricopa County, which includes the city of Phoenix, is one of the largest counties in the country. In Superior Court, there are about 120,000 new case filings annually, including almost 35,000 new civil filings. The e-filing initiative initially targets complex litigation but ultimately will expand to all civil actions. It is anticipated that the system will be implemented by the end of the year.