Los Angeles court system will expand eService to family law in 2025

The Superior Court of Los Angeles County, which provides services to more than 10 million people, will expand its electronic case management system next year to include family law, probate, and mental health cases.

Starting Jan. 2, attorneys and self-represented litigants will be able to receive case documents, including juvenile dependency appeals, electronically from the court using its eService, a case management system that uses multi-factor authentication and offers automatic proof of service for recipients. 

Under California Rule of Court 2.251, electronic service is equivalent to service by mail, express mail, overnight delivery or fax transmission.

The expansion aims to make the countywide court system, made up of 36 courthouses spread across 88 cities, operate more efficiently by using electronic notification and document delivery, a quicker alternative to traditional mailing methods. 

According to a public notice issued by the court on Dec. 18, represented parties will be automatically enrolled in and required to use eService, while self-represented litigants can choose to opt in by filing a consent form. The court system plans to expand eService again to serve all civil case types by July 1, 2025.