Vt. Memo to the Bar, Jan. 26, 2021

SUPREME COURT OF VERMONT

OFFICE OF THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR

PATRICIA GABEL, ESQ. Mailing Address

State Court Administrator Office of the Court Administrator

patricia.gabel@vermont.gov 109 State Street

Montpelier, VT 05609-0701

Telephone (802) 828-3278

FAX: 802 828-3457

www.vermontjudiciary.org

TO: Members of the Vermont Bar

FROM: Patricia Gabel, Esq., State Court Administrator

RE: Emergency Order Extending Effective Date for Amendments to Administrative Order

No. 9, Permanent Rules Governing Establishment and Operation of the Professional

Responsibility Program, Important Notice About Court Operations During Phase IV

Odyssey Roll Out, Odyssey Filing Info and Misc. Info

DATE: January 26, 2021

For your information, please find:

• Emergency Order Extending Effective Date for Amendments to Administrative Order No. 9, Permanent Rules

Governing Establishment and Operation of the Professional Responsibility Program

• Important Notice About Court Operations During Phase IV Odyssey Roll Out in the Caledonia, Essex,

Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orleans, and Washington Trial Courts

• Odyssey Electronic Filing & Other Important Info

• Updated Court Forms

• Obligations Under A.O. 41

• eCabinet Registration

I. PROMULGATED RULE AMENDMENTS

Emergency Order Extending Effective Date for Amendments to Administrative Order No. 9,

Permanent Rules Governing Establishment and Operation of the Professional Responsibility

Program

This Emergency Order was promulgated on January 25, 2021; effective immediately.

The effective date for the amendments to Administrative Order No. 9, Permanent Rules

Governing Establishment and Operation of the Professional Responsibility Program, promulgated

on November 2, 2020, effective February 1, 2021, have been extended until April 1, 2021.

The date to file the report required by the November 2, 2020 order has also be extended until

April 2023.

II. IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT COURT OPERATIONS DURING PHASE IV

ODYSSEY ROLL OUT IN THE CALEDONIA, ESSEX, FRANKLIN, GRAND ISLE,

LAMOILLE, ORLEANS, AND WASHINGTON TRIAL COURTS

Due to the Phase IV Odyssey rollout scheduled to begin on Monday, February 1st, the

Caledonia, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orleans, and Washington trial courts will

hold only emergency hearings from Monday, February 1st to Friday, February 5th.

Court users should know that during this week:

• Units will only hold emergency hearings. This includes criminal lodgings, relief from

abuse cases, stalking cases, juvenile emergency custodial orders and mental health

emergencies.

• Judges from other units or retired judges may sit on these emergency hearings remotely.

• Any non-emergency hearings currently scheduled for this period will be rescheduled.

• Individuals can still call or email the courts, though some calls may be directed to the

Information Center first.

• Individuals can still submit filings to JUD inboxes, deposit paperwork at the courts’ drop

boxes and pick up court forms at court entrances. All court filings will be appropriately

date stamped with the date of filing, however, due to the Odyssey roll out, non-emergency

filings may not be addressed immediately.

The Phase IV roll out encompasses staff and courts from ten buildings across seven counties.

Court staff, finance staff, and RIS staff will be managing data conversion, performing manual data

entry, and scanning paper files into Odyssey. This dedicated time is essential to ensure a successful

transition onto the new case management system. We appreciate your patience and consideration

during this time.

III. ODYSSEY AND ELECTRONIC FILING INFORMATION

The Vermont Legislature has appropriated CARES Act funds for a grant to Vermont Legal Aid

to cover the cost of the Tyler eFiling use fees though March 31, 2021, to ensure all court users

have timely access to justice as the judicial system resumes operations relying on greater digital

remote online processes to ensure public health and safety after closure due to COVID-19. During

this period, the Tyler eFiling use fee will not be charged to filers but will be charged to the CARES

Act grant to Legal Aid.

The Caledonia, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orleans, and Washington trial courts will

begin using Odyssey on February 1, 2021, and electronic filing through Odyssey File & Serve is

scheduled to commence on March 15, 2021. Odyssey and electronic filing are already operational

in Addison, Bennington, Chittenden, Orange, Rutland, Windsor, and Windham trial courts and the

Environmental Division and the Judicial Bureau. Please use the following links to access Odyssey

electronic filing and portal systems and for more information.

Odyssey File & Serve. Odyssey File & Serve (OFS) is the platform through which you will

electronically file with the courts. To access OFS, please visit https://vermont.tylerhost.net/ofsweb

You can access user guides through the “User Guides” link in the “Self Help” window. You can

also access docket specific user guides on the judiciary’s website at

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/about-vermont-judiciary/electronic-access/electronic-filing

For technical support regarding Odyssey File & Serve, please contact Tyler Technologies at 800-

297-5377 or efiling.support@tylertech.com

Odyssey Public Portal. The Odyssey Public Portal allows you to view your case files. To access

the portal, please visit https://publicportal.courts.vt.gov/Portal/ Before you can view your case

files, you must first register in the portal and then request elevated access. The Public Portal User

Guide contains instructions on how to register and request elevated access. You can read the user

guide on our website at https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/about-vermont-judiciary/public-portal

For technical support regarding the Public Portal, please contact the Vermont Judiciary’s

HelpDesk at Jud.helpdesk@vermont.gov When emailing, please write “Public Portal” in the

subject line.

FAQ. Please visit https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/odyssey for answers to frequently asked

questions and updates about the project.

Efiling Training Opportunities

Watch a pre-recorded efiling training webinar from the Vermont Judiciary. The judiciary’s

NG-CMS project team recorded a demonstration of how to use Odyssey File & Serve that you can

view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke2ouMDK4VQ&feature=emb_title

Register for a live efiling webinar with Tyler Technologies. Starting February 24, 2021, Tyler

Technologies will offer a series of live webinars on how to use Odyssey File & Serve. To register,

visit https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/8175684102182380812

Practice setting up your firm and submitting filings. For hands on practice, you can create your

firm, register users, and begin filing practice cases in the Vermont “Stage” environment. Be sure

that the web address includes the word “stage” (https://vermont-stage.tylerhost.net/ofsweb). The

Stage environment is available any time. Please note that submissions will only be reviewed

periodically, so you may not get a timely response on whether your practice submissions have

been accepted. The Stage environment is available now only for familiarity and direct hands-on

experience and is not a substitute for registering on the actual efiling site when you are ready.

Read Vermont specific efiling guides. The Vermont Judiciary’s website includes several efiling

guides to help you navigate Odyssey File & Serve. Visit https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/about-vermont-judiciary/electronic-access/electronic-filing and click on Odyssey File and Serve User

Guides to view the most updated versions.

IV. MISCELLANEOUS

a. Court Forms

Court forms are constantly being updated. Please refer to the judiciary website for the most up-to-date forms, https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/court-forms

Please use the link below to report any form question, concern or issue

http://www.vermontjudiciary.org/website-feedback-form or you can access our Website Feedback

program at the bottom of each web page.

b. Obligation under A.O. 41

Attorneys are reminded that an “attorney must report to the State Court Administrator within

thirty days any change of the office mailing or electronic mail address” and that “[n]otice sent to a

reported address is sufficient even if not received by the attorney because of failure to report the

proper address or failure of delivery not caused by the court.” A.O. 41, § 4(c); see A.O. 44, § 1.

Please email those changes to JUD.AttyLicensing@vermont.gov Your cooperation is very much

appreciated.

To ensure you continue to receive these emails, please add JUD.AttyLicensing@vermont.gov to

your Safe Senders list.

c. eCabinet Registration

Administrative Order No. 44 requires attorneys in active status to register up to three email

addresses in eCabinet for purposes of receiving notices of hearing and other documents. You may

include staff email addresses in the three email addresses that you specify. eCabinet registration is

required whether you practice in court or not.

If you have already registered in eCabinet, the email address(es) you provided as part of that

process will be used.

If you have not already registered in eCabinet, please go to

https://efiling.eservices.crt.state.vt.us/ click Register Now, and follow the simple prompts.

Attorneys will need their attorney license numbers to register. Helpful information about the

Attorney Email Registration process is also available on the Electronic Filing page of the judiciary

website at https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/about-vermont-judiciary/electronic-access/electronic-filing Please contact jud.helpdesk@vermont.gov or call the Helpdesk at 802-828-4357 with any

questions in the meantime.

You are also reminded that you are required to update the email address(es) and other contact

information you have registered as soon as there are any changes, including changes to staff email

addresses you may have included with your registration. To revise the information, please go to

https://efiling.eservices.crt.state.vt.us/ log into eCabinet, click “Account,” choose “My Profile,”

and make the necessary changes to your contact information.

Notification to JUD.AttyLicensing@vermont.gov or in eCabinet of a change to your contact

information does not automatically notify the other. It is your responsibility to notify both. If you

are a member of the Vermont Bar Association, you will also need to separately notify the VBA.