Tennessee Supreme Court Announces New Electronic Filing System, Filing Fees

The Appellate Court Clerk’s new electronic filing system will begin operation on July 9, 2018.  A quick link on the Appellate Court Clerk’s webpage will provide access to the new system. 

“We are happy to announce that the Tennessee appellate courts are joining many other states that have already ventured into the electronic filing environment,” said Chief Justice Jeff Bivins. “With the leadership of Justice Sharon Lee, Supreme Court Clerk Jim Hivner and IT Director Ann Lynn Walker, our team has worked diligently to implement appropriate rules and policies and to develop a system that we are confident will provide greater efficiencies for our appellate litigants throughout the state.”

Once the electronic filing system is in place, attorneys will be permitted to electronically file virtually all new filings in the appellate courts.

In addition to establishing a new, voluntary system for electronically filing documents, the Supreme Court has established a new fee structure for costs and fees assessed in the appellate courts.  Beginning July 9, appellate litigants will be required to pay their fees when initiating a case in the appellate courts rather than waiting until the appellate process is complete. 

“Although this will be a significant change, this procedure for paying fees is consistent with the procedure used by the trial court clerks in Tennessee and most of the appellate courts throughout the country,” Hivner said. “In addition, this change should assist the appellate litigants in determining the costs associated with an appeal prior to initiating the appeal.” 

Initially, the electronic filing system will be voluntary and only available to attorneys registering to use the system.  Filings from parties appearing pro se will not be submitted through the electronic filing system, but will continue to be filed in paper and scanned by Court personnel.  All filings submitted through the electronic filing system will be required to comply with Supreme Court Rule 46.  There will be no procedural changes for filings submitted in paper.

The Appellate Court Clerk and the electronic filing service provider, ImageSoft, will be providing webinars to train lawyers on the new system.  Additional information concerning the electronic filing system, the new appellate fees and the webinars will be made available on the Appellate  Court Clerk’s Office website: http://tncourts.gov/courts/appellate-court-clerks-office.