The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) is pleased to announce a major component of the Odyssey Integrated Case Management System (ICMS), File & Serve, is scheduled to officially launch in four pilot counties (Harnett, Johnston, Lee, and Wake) on Monday, February 13. ICMS is part of the North Carolina Judicial Branch’s eCourts initiative to take the court system from paper to digital. Although many components of eCourts have already been successfully implemented statewide, most users will primarily engage with eFiling, Portal, and Odyssey, which will be phased in over a two-year period after go-live on February 13.

“This is an exciting time for the Judicial Branch and for those we serve,” said NCAOC Director Judge Andrew T. Heath. “The modernization of our courts from paper to digital will help us better serve North Carolinians who have business with the court and help us continue to ensure that justice is administered without favor, denial, or delay. We appreciate the public's patience and cooperation during this historic transition.” 

Once eCourts is live, eFiling will be required for attorneys for any new filings (including subsequent filings in open cases) made in Harnett, Johnston, Lee, and Wake counties. Attorneys and individuals must register for an account to access File & Serve.

NOTE: All other counties will not be impacted during this transition to eCourts.

eFiling, also known as File & Serve, enables you to file documents electronically through a single, secure, centralized online location. It also allows you to:

• Submit court documents online to the clerk's office in eCourts counties.
• Pay filing fees that are automatically calculated for you when you submit filings.
• Get a file-stamped electronic copy upon the clerk’s acceptance. Receive filing status updates via email.

Portal allows you to access court information online in eCourts counties, including:

• Search case information by name, attorney, citation, and more.
• Search for court dates and hearings by name, attorney, case number, and more.
• View case information, records, and documents Make instant online credit card transactions to pay fines and fees.

The public can learn more at NCcourts.gov/eCourts. 

About ICMS

The Odyssey suite will replace 40+ older legacy systems and integrate all of these products into one streamlined case management solution including eFiling, financial management, and document management for all case types. The new system will bring higher efficiencies to the justice system, electronic access to information, reduce manual processes and reliance on paper, and increase collaboration among court officials, lawyers, and law enforcement officers.  The NCAOC worked with the National Center for State Courts to convene stakeholders, develop business requirements, and identify vendors. Tyler Technologies’ Odyssey suite was the solution selected to help migrate court processes from a variety of older applications to one integrated case management system. Tyler Technologies’ solutions are currently used in 38 states. 

NCAOC is implementing a phased rollout of the system statewide, with Mecklenburg County scheduled to go live later this spring. Additional tracks are expected to come online every 60-90 days thereafter until all 100 counties are live.