The Clerk's vision is to create an electronic record where the secure, electronic image of a document is considered the original. Before eFiling becomes standard business practice, it will be vital for attorneys, parties, the court, investigators, and all other participants to understand that the paper file may no longer be complete when this improvement takes place. When electronic records are designated the original, and when pleadings are filed electronically (moving from computer to computer without having ever been in paper form) the Clerk's Office will not have paper to place in hardcopy files anymore for those filings. During this conversion, there will be some cases that start in paper form, but everything after a certain point will be in electronic form. For this reason, participants must review the electronic version of the case to have the complete information of that case. This will be possible because the initial filings that are submitted in paper are scanned upon filing to ensure the electronic image is available.

While electronic casefiles are a newer concept in Maricopa County, federal courts have used this model for years and other municipalities are rapidly converting to this system. Having the entire casefile available electronically is ultimately more practical and useful than the older, paper-based system. The documents are more secure, and are available to multiple viewers at the same time. In a paper-based system, only one person can have possession of the hardcopy casefile at one time. When the casefile becomes available, paper copies can be made from that casefile for other parties. In terms of material and labor, this process takes more time and costs more money than the electronic alternative, and requires the Clerk's Office to have the storage space for those hardcopy files in addition to the 30,000 new pieces of paper received every day in the Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court's Office.

eFiling will not be available in all casetypes for some time. Being prepared early to view the electronic casefile and not depend on the paper record, however, will go a long way to helping parties and their attorneys ensure they have the most complete record of their case in Superior Court.