What are the benefits?

The benefits of using caselines include:

• It ensures that everyone has access to all documents for the case.
• The platform is easy to use
• Materials of nearly any format can be uploaded and easily organized (e.g. pdf, docx)
• Users can make private notes and highlight documents
• terms/keywords can be searched within all uploaded documents
• Allows for users to easily direct opposing counsel and the court to view specific sections

If you do not get an email invite, where can you register?

You can register to use caselines here. You will be asked to fill in the required demographic/account information about yourself, accept the terms and conditions, and then click register. You will be sent a verification link to your email of choice and then will be prompted to log on.

Can you just upload your documents to Caselines?

No, you cannot upload your documents until you have filed them with the courthouse (through the Justice Submissions Online or another approved means) and those filings have been accepted by the court. After acceptancy by the courthouse, you may upload them onto Caselines. You must upload your documents before your court date since any materials that is not uploaded into Caselines in advance will likely not be reviewed by a judicial official when he/she is preparing for the court proceeding.

How do you use Caselines? What is a bundle?

For more information on how to use the Caselines/Case Centers Interface, refer to the video in this link.

This detailed video will go over a comprehensive list of features and uses such as:

• Registration
• Viewing case lists
• Viewing cases
• uploading/naming documents
• How to access links to virtual hearings
• Writing case notes
• Tips/Tricks for efficient navigation (dual-pane view, toggling between cases, etc)
• Utilizing bundles:
  • Where documents and evidence are organized into
  • Each bundle is then divided into sections for ease of classification and navigation

What is the maximum length of an uploaded document?

When uploading a document to caselines ensure the document is no more than 500 pages in length. The reason for this is to avoid issues such as “document freezing” while scrolling through during your hearing. If one of your documents is longer than the 500 page limit, you can break the document down into subsections with appropriate headings (e.g. Volume 1, Volume 2, etc.). 

Additionally, after uploading all documents into CaseLines/Case Center, it is ideal to create a document containing an index of the documents you will be referring to in the hearing along with document/page numbers for efficiency and clarity purposes.

Explain what hyperlinks are and the two types.

Hyperlinks are links attached to text to another location or file and are activated by clicking on the work or image that is hyperlinked.

There are two forms of hyperlinks used within caselines/case center: internal and external.

• Internal hyperlinks:
  • Point to locations within the same document (i.e. different sections)
• External  hyperlinks:
  • Point to external websites or external documents

It is generally recommended that each document is uploaded to CaseLines/Case Centers separately, however, an exception to this rule includes documents that are hyperlinked to other documents. For example, an affidavit with attached exhibits should be uploaded as one PDF document along with any hyperlinked documents that are included in the affidavit itself.

A useful tool for uploading a PDF containing multiple documents is the Bookmarked PDF function. After selecting the “sections” tab in the case file and selecting “upload documents”, you may select the “upload bookmarked PDF” checkbox which will prompt Caselines/Case Center to detect any bookmarked/hyperlinked documents.

A “first-level bookmark” for each document within the PDF should be created using the naming protocol:

• • Document type – type of party submitting document – name of party submitting document – date on which the document was created or signed (DD-MMM-YYYY).

Outline how to upload draft orders?

Draft orders should be included with uploaded materials so the judicial official will be able to access them directly in CaseLines/Case Orders.

• Draft orders should be uploaded in a Word Format so that judicial officials can easily access and authorize them.
• Ensure that documents in Word format are not password-protected before uploading them to CaseLines.

How do you find orders and/or endorsements on Caselines?

If an order or endorsement is made from a hearing using Caselines/Case Center, it will be directly distributed to parties through Caselines.

• Once orders/endorsements have been signed, the Court will upload them into the Orders and Endorsements bundle in your specified case.
• You will also receive an email from CaseLines/Case Center when an order/endorsement has been uploaded.

These documents can be uploaded in two different ways:

They can be downloaded from the “Review” screen

• Select the “orders and endorsements” bundle
•  click “download”
•  select “download document”

They can be downloaded from the “Update” screen

• Click on “index” at the top of the screen
• click “select bundle”
• select the “orders and endorsements” bundle
• find the order or endorsement and select the PDF button (which will download a PDF version of the order/endorsement directly to your computer).