MDEC or Maryland Electronic Courts is an ambitious project to put the entire Maryland Court filing system in the cloud. No longer will attorneys have to print out, sign, and mail fillings. Everything will be done online. It was designed to save time and money, although the Post Office won’t be happy about it.
MDEC was first rolled out in Anne Arundel County. Civil cases were added to the system first. Starting in the summer of 2015, both civil and criminal cases had to be filed through MDEC.
At first, I had some complaints. The filing system was clunky and slow. You had to download a special plug-in to make it work. It was not intuitive at all. However, in April 2016, MDEC got a complete facelift. They got rid of the plug-in and you could e-file from any type of computer (my home computer runs a Linux operating system and it was difficult to e-file before). Other improvements were made so filing because much easier. I really started to become a fan.
MDEC has been slowly rolling out across the State. While, I wish they would go faster, it is probably better to go slow and get it right. As of today, attorneys are required to file their motions through MDEC in the Eastern Shore counties and in Anne Arundel County. Starting this summer, southern Maryland will transition with Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s County going online. Then in the fall, the many of the western counties will make the shift. Baltimore City will switch over last.
I know that many attorneys are not terribly excited about this change. Some are just Luddites who hate technology. Others hate or are afraid of change. But I embrace it. The system works pretty well and has made me more efficient. I am looking forward to seeing how technology will continue to be used in the practice of law.