What are E-Service Contacts?
An E-Service Contact is the information that the Indiana E-Filing System (IEFS) uses to electronically notify parties via email when a pleading or other documents is filed in a case. Notification of every filing is required by Indiana Trial Rule 5. Any method of notification is allowed by rule 5, but when it can be used, E-Service is the simplest and lowest cost method.
E-Service Contacts are only used to serve notice of filings. They are not used to provide notice of court judgments & orders.
As a best practice, it is recommended that an attorney always attach their own E-service contact to a case when they file an appearance. By doing so, they make it easy and automatic for other filers to serve the attorney notice of new filings. HOWEVER… Even if an attorney fails to follow best practice by attaching their E-Service contact to a case, it remains the filer's responsibility to ensure service occurs. Failing to provide service slows a case at best, and may result in a reprimand at worst, so always make sure the opposing party or their counsel's E-Service Contact is attached when you begin to E-File.
Public vs Private Service Contacts
There are two types of service contacts available for use by E-Filers:
A Public E-Service Contact is maintained by the State Court for every attorney licensed to practice in Indiana. An attorney's public E-Service Contact is created using the information provided by the attorney in their "Roll of Attorneys" record. Each attorney is required to maintain current information in their record in the Roll of Attorneys. The nice thing about a public E-Service Contact is that every attorney has one, it is visible to everyone, and anyone can attach it to a case. That means that if an attorney has failed to follow the best practice noted above, you can do their work for them by attaching them to the case before you file a document that you need to serve them notice for. The downside is that only attorneys have public service contacts, and sometimes you want a paralegal, assistant, or even a party to receive E-Service.
You can add a second email address to a Public E-Service Contact to receive an "administrative copy" of everything served on the attorney. To edit and maintain an attorney's E-Service Contact, use the Court's portal for the Roll of attorneys: https://secure.in.gov/apps/courts/portal/, which requires the attorney to log in. Changes made in the roll of attorneys are applied after the close of business each working day, so allow one day for changes to take effect.
A Private E-Service Contact is maintained in your own firm's E-Filing information, and is only available to members of your firm. The advantage of setting up one or more Private E-Service contacts is that sometimes an attorney may want to attach themselves to a case using a different email address from the one provided to the roll of attorneys. For instance, an attorney may maintain a separate email address for public defender work and private work or have copy service go to different assistants depending on the case type. In that situation, being able to assign the appropriate contact for each type of case helps with organization. You may also want to set up separate contacts for assistants and parties to the case. All of this can be done via a Private E-Service Contact.
Only you or members of your firm can see your list of Private E-Service Contacts, but when you attach one to a case, it becomes visible to anyone viewing the case so they know you will be served when they file a document.
Deciding which type of contact to use is often just a matter of personal preference. Since Public E-Service Contacts are automatically created based on the Roll of Attorneys, they are the "low effort" option. On the other hand, Private E-Service Contacts are great for people who want to exercise precise control over how they are served.
If you still have questions, your E-Filing Service Provider can help you manage this process. Things can get tricky when people are leaving and coming into the firm, so Doxpop has created some special tools to handle mass replacement of service contacts. You can learn more about that tool in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9wwiQlVHxM.
Give us a call if you have any questions! 765-965-7363 will connect you to our friendly (and human!) helpers.
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