Filing a New Case
To file a new case, click File a Case on the dashboard (or navigate to the File page). The filing wizard walks you through six steps. A progress rail at the top shows where you are and lets you jump back to previous steps.
You can save your work as a draft at any point by clicking Save Draft in the bottom bar.
Step 1: Select Court
A side panel opens where you choose:
Court -- Select the court where you are filing (e.g., 19th Judicial District Court).
Location -- If the court has multiple locations, pick the appropriate one.
The court and location determine which case types, fee schedules, and document types are available in later steps.
Step 2: Choose Filing Type
Still in the side panel, select:
Case Type -- The category of case (e.g., Civil, Family, Probate, Criminal).
Case Subtype -- If the selected case type has subtypes, pick the one that best describes your matter.
Step 3: Add Parties
In the Parties panel, add every party to the case. You must add at least one party before proceeding.
For each party, provide:
Party Type -- Individual, Business, Government Entity, Minor, Estate, or Trust.
Party Role -- Plaintiff, Defendant, Petitioner, Respondent, Third Party, Cross Complainant, Intervenor, Appellant, or Appellee.
Name -- First and last name for individuals; business name for organizations.
Contact information -- Phone, email, and address (optional but recommended).
Date of birth -- Required for certain case types.
Confidential flag -- Check this if the party's information should be sealed from public view.
You can also search for existing parties in the court's case management system. If a match is found, selecting it pre-fills the party details.
Individual parties require both a first and last name. Business-type parties (Business, Government Entity, Estate, Trust) require a business name.
Step 4: Upload Documents
The Documents panel lets you upload and organize your filing documents.
Upload files -- Drag and drop PDF files into the panel, or click to browse. Each file can be up to 25 MB.
Set document type -- For each uploaded file, select the docket entry type (e.g., Petition, Motion, Exhibit).
Mark the lead document -- Exactly one document must be designated as the lead document. This is the primary filing (e.g., the Petition or Complaint).
Title each document -- Give every document a descriptive title.
Optional flags:
Sealed -- Mark if the document should be filed under seal.
Redacted -- Mark if the document has been redacted.
The document organizer also supports page-level operations: you can reorder pages, rotate them, delete individual pages, split a document into multiple documents, or merge documents together.
When you advance to the next step, the system assembles your documents. This may take a moment for large filings.
You can also drop files anywhere on the dashboard page while the wizard is open. They will be added to your current filing automatically.
Step 5: Review Fees
The Fees panel shows a breakdown of the court fees for your filing. Fees are calculated automatically based on the court's fee schedule, the case type, and the document types you selected.
Each line item shows a description and dollar amount. The total appears at the bottom.
Fee waiver -- If you cannot afford the filing fees, check the Request fee waiver checkbox. The clerk will review your waiver request as part of the filing review.
Payment processing is not yet enabled. Fees are shown for reference only. No payment is collected at submission time.
Step 6: Review and Submit
The final step shows a summary of everything you entered:
Court and case information -- Court, location, case type, subtype, and filing category.
Parties -- All parties with their roles and types.
Documents -- All documents with lead/sealed flags and file sizes.
Fee summary -- Total fee and any fee waiver request.
Each section has an Edit button that takes you back to the relevant step if you need to make changes.
Before submitting, you must check the certification checkbox confirming that the information is true and correct.
Click Submit Filing to send your filing to the clerk review queue. On success, you will see:
A confirmation screen with your filing number.
The date and time of submission.
A note that an email confirmation has been sent.
From the confirmation screen, you can return to the dashboard or start another filing.
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