Circuit court eFiling - Becoming an electronic party on an existing case (Opting in) as an attorney

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Purpose: Attorneys associated with parties on existing cases can use the opt-in feature to begin eFiling and accessing electronic documents on the case. Pro hac vice attorneys may also opt in to eFile. An Opting in on a case as an attorney video is also available for review. 

Applicable Users: Attorneys

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Prerequisites:

• If the case is a traditional paper case, it must be converted to an electronic case before filers can opt in. Contact the clerk of circuit court’s office in the appropriate county to request that the case be converted from a paper case to an electronic case.
• An eCourts account is required to participate in eFiling; refer to the Creating an eCourts account guide for additional information.

Steps:

1. Visit the eFiling website at https://efiling.wicourts.gov/ and log in. For more information, see the Logging into Wisconsin circuit court eFiling guide.
2. Select opt in from the main menu or [Opt in] button from the bottom menu.
   
   Note: You can also opt in by selecting the Opt in as an electronic party link on the my cases page.
   
3. Enter the County, Case number, and the Party you represent. If you are not on record with the courts as representing a party on the case upload your notice of retainer by selecting [Upload document]. Please note that there is not an official court form for a notice of retainer or notice of appearance. To submit either of these notices, create a form on your company’s letterhead with appropriate details about your role representing parties on the case.
   
   Note: Case numbers can be entered completely (e.g. 2024SC000001) or in an abbreviated format (e.g. 24SC1), but they must exclude dashes and spaces.
4. If you need to file any additional documents including a Petition for Waiver of Fees/Costs, select the Yes radio button below "Do you need to file additional documents?" Select [Continue] to proceed to the document upload screen. Review steps 5 and 6 of the eFiling to an existing case article for more information on uploading documents.
   
5. If you do not need to file additional documents, select [Save] to proceed.
   
6. On the Ready to file page, verify the information you entered, then select the checkbox next to the electronic party registration you wish to proceed with. Select [File and Pay].
   
   Note: If you have set up a court debit account (CDA) with the circuit court you are filing in, you will have the option to choose a payment method. To set up a CDA, see the Creating and managing a court debit account guide. You are responsible for ensuring that proper funds are available in the account when filing.
   If you pay with a credit/debit card or eCheck via the US Bank ePayment website, a transaction fee will be applied to the total.
7. Make electronic payment by selecting [Make payment with US Bank] and submitting payment information, or if applicable, pay using your court debit account.
   
   Note: Once you have advanced to this page, do not close out of your browser window or take a break. Selecting [File and pay] at the bottom of the previous page initiates a connection with the US Bank ePayment website that only stays open for 10-15 minutes.
   US Bank is the vendor that processes circuit court credit card and electronic check transactions. You do not need a US Bank checking or savings account to pay for filings on the US Bank ePayment website. You can pay using a Visa card, MasterCard, or electronic check.
8. After the opt-in request has been electronically submitted it is transmitted to the clerk of circuit court’s office. Staff will process your request to opt in when both the payment and request are received. Upon successful opt-in, you will receive an email notifying you that you are now an electronic notice (eNotice) party and the case will display in your My cases list. You can now access electronic documents and file documents on the case.
   Note: Opt-in requests that still need to be processed display a status of Opt in pending on the My cases page.