Electronic Document Alliance Appeals to the Legal Market

Bringing courts and law firms together is the goal of an agreement between Microsoft (Redmond, WA),

PC Docs (Burlington, MA), Focus Systems (Austin, TX), and Choice Information Systems (Newport News, VA). The alliance aims to electronically link law firms to each other and to courts, using Choice's Sustain eCourt digital filing system, PC Docs document management software, Focus' legal management system and Microsoft BackOffice. "We are confident that this alliance will very quickly produce significant, tangible and measurable results," said Choice president Michael Payton. The General Division of the Toronto Metropolitan Court expects to substantially reduce a $9 million burdenÐ shouldered by taxpayersÐfor storing paper documents, according to Ontario Attorney General Charles Harnick. Added Rob Russell, a partner at the Toronto-based law firm Borden & Elliot: "The days of having to pay someone to rush down to the courthouse by one o'clock and wait in line to file documents will be a thing of the past."