> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cottfile.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cottfile.com/admin-guide/setting-up-a-court.md).

# Setting Up a Parish

Parishes are the top-level entity in the system. Every filing type, fee schedule, queue, and routing rule belongs to a specific parish. You must create a parish before configuring anything else.

## Creating a Parish

1. Navigate to **Admin > Parishes**.
2. Click **Add Court** in the top-right corner.
3. Fill in the details:

| Field                  | Required | Description                                                                                                 |
| ---------------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Court Name**         | Yes      | Full name of the court (e.g., "19th Judicial District Court")                                               |
| **Code**               | Yes      | Short identifier, up to 10 characters (e.g., "19JDC")                                                       |
| **State**              | Yes      | Two-letter state code. Defaults to "LA"                                                                     |
| **External ID (CMS)**  | No       | Unique identifier used by Verdict CMS. Supports GUIDs or numeric IDs                                        |
| **Jurisdiction Label** | No       | How the jurisdiction is labeled in forms. Defaults to "Parish". Use "County" or "District" for other states |
| **E-Filing Enabled**   | No       | Toggle on to allow filers to submit to this court. Defaults to on                                           |

4. Click **Create**.

{% hint style="info" %}
**📹 GIF:** Creating a new parish -- clicking "Add Court," filling in the court name, code, and state fields in the dialog, toggling E-Filing Enabled on, and clicking Create.
{% endhint %}

## Editing a Parish

Click the **pencil icon** on any row to open the edit dialog. Update the fields and click **Update**.

## Enabling or Disabling E-Filing

You can toggle e-filing on or off directly from the table using the **E-Filing** switch on each row. When disabled, filers cannot submit new filings to this parish.

## Deleting a Parish

Click the **trash icon** on a row. You will be asked to confirm before the parish is deleted.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Deleting a parish removes all associated locations, filing types, fee schedules, queues, and routing rules. This action cannot be undone.
{% endhint %}

## Managing Locations

Parishes can have multiple locations (e.g., Main Courthouse, Annex Building). Locations appear as options when filers select where to file.

### Adding a Location

1. In the parishes table, click the **expand arrow** on a row to reveal its locations.
2. Click **Add Location**.
3. Fill in the location details:

| Field             | Required | Description                                                       |
| ----------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Location Name** | Yes      | Display name (e.g., "Main Courthouse")                            |
| **Code**          | Yes      | Short identifier (e.g., "MAIN"). Must be unique within the parish |
| **Address**       | No       | Street address of the location                                    |

4. Click **Create**.

### Editing and Deleting Locations

Use the pencil and trash icons on each location row within the expanded parish panel.

## Verdict CMS Connection Settings

Each parish can connect to a Verdict CMS instance to sync case types, record accepted filings, and exchange data. The Verdict configuration panel appears below the locations table when you expand a parish.

### Configuring the Connection

1. Expand a parish row to reveal the **Verdict CMS Configuration** card.
2. Fill in the connection settings:

| Field                   | Description                                                                           |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Enable Verdict Sync** | Toggle to enable or disable syncing for this parish                                   |
| **Endpoint URL**        | The Verdict SOAP service URL (e.g., `https://verdict.example.com/ExportService.asmx`) |
| **Security Code**       | Security code provided by your Verdict administrator                                  |
| **Username**            | Service account username for Verdict API access                                       |
| **Password**            | Service account password for Verdict API access                                       |

3. Click **Save** to store the configuration.

### Testing the Connection

After saving your credentials, click **Test Connection**. The system saves the current settings and then attempts to reach the Verdict endpoint. You will see a success or failure message.

### Syncing Data

Click **Sync Now** to pull case types and filing types from Verdict into the e-filing system. The sync button is only available when Verdict Sync is enabled.

After a successful sync, the system displays how many case types and filing types were imported. The **Last synced** timestamp is shown below the card title.

{% hint style="info" %}
**📹 GIF:** Configuring the Verdict CMS connection -- expanding a parish row, filling in the endpoint URL and credentials, clicking "Test Connection" to see the success message, then clicking "Sync Now" to import case types.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
You can re-run the sync at any time to pick up changes made in Verdict. The sync updates existing records and adds new ones without removing previously imported data.
{% endhint %}


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