The state’s courts will use several products from the company’s Odyssey suite, such as its case manager, file and serve, and attorney manager, according to a press release. The 10-year contract will provide statewide e-filing, enable paperless processes, automate workflows and support online access to the judicial system. The agreement is the largest deployment to date of Tyler Technologies’ software-as-a-service (SaaS) product and the biggest implementation by population, the release states. North Carolina has more than 10 million residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
NCAOC Interim Director McKinley Wooten said he hopes SaaS will bring North Carolina’s courthouses into the 21st century.
“Creating an electronic statewide court system is a major undertaking,” Wooten said in a statement. “We are thrilled to make this leap forward with Tyler’s Odyssey solution to help us achieve our vision of a virtual courthouse, where paper processes are a thing of the past and efficiencies are gained by Judicial Branch offices across North Carolina. Ultimately, we are leveraging technology to provide greater access to the courts.”
Tyler Technologies has been a staple of the annual GovTech 100, a list compiled and published by Government Technology of 100 companies focused on, making a difference in, and selling to state and local government agencies nationwide.
“North Carolina’s vision of a unified electronic courts environment aligns with Tyler’s vision to enhance the experience for everyone impacted by the justice system in the state,” said Rusty Smith, president of Tyler’s Courts and Justice Division in a press release. “We look forward to helping North Carolina empower its legal community – including judges, court staff, clerks, district attorneys, public defenders, attorneys, and the public – with tools that will improve all aspects of court case management.”
The push for the modernization of North Carolina’s courts was spurred on by a 2017 review conducted by the North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice (NCCALJ). The NCCALJ Technology Committee recommended the development of the eCourts Strategic Technology Plan and the creation of an integrated case management system, according to the release.
The North Carolina deal marks Tyler Technologies’ 15th statewide agreement for the Odyssey product line. The suite of applications currently serves more than 45 percent of people nationwide via court case transactions.
