Electronic filing (e-filing) is the process of filing legal documents with courts and other government and nongovernment entities (arbitration administrators) electronically—often through a website—rather than mailing or delivering paper copies of the documents to be filed.
In Illinois, electronic filing (e-filing) has become the standard method for filing legal documents with the courts. As of July 1, 2018, the Illinois Supreme Court mandated e-filing for civil cases in the Illinois Supreme, Appellate, and Circuit Courts through an electronic filing service provider (EFSP). This applies to all civil cases except for those in which the filer has received a waiver due to a demonstrated hardship. E-filing is managed through a centralized platform known as 'eFileIL', and filers must register with an EFSP to submit documents. This system streamlines the process and provides for a more efficient management of court documents. While e-filing is primarily used for court documents, the process may also be applicable to certain government and non-government entities, such as arbitration administrators, depending on the specific requirements and systems they have in place.