Thomas F. Gleason Partner Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O'Shea 102 Hackett Boulevard Albany, New York 12209 Phone: 518-432-7511 Email: tgleason@gdwo.net

Statement

The explosive growth in Internet use by New York practicing attorneys, particularly with respect to transmitting document attachments by e-mail, has brought New York State practitioners much closer to acceptance of Internet court paper filing systems. Such a system presently exists in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. New York State also has a pilot program for filing of electronic papers, but only in commercial cases in Monroe and New York Counties, and tax certiorari cases in Westchester County. These projects presently remain underutilized, but the environment is changing fast and widespread acceptance is likely upon expansion of the program. The advantages of electronic filing, including centralized access to court papers and reduction in logistical expenses for collation and transmittal of papers, will cause electronic filing systems to improve and expand. The input of the State Bar Association will be critical in ensuring user friendly systems that take account of practitioners’ concerns, especially regarding attorney/client relationships and technological capabilities.

Biography

Thomas F. Gleason is an attorney in private practice and a member of the law firm Gleason, Dunn, Walsh & O’Shea, in Albany New York. He is an Adjunct Professor at Albany Law School, teaching Insurance Law. He serves as a member of the New York Office of Court Administration Advisory Committee on Civil Practice, and as the Chair of its Subcommittee on Technology. He has taken an active part in the drafting of the rules that implement the program; the User’s Manual; and the design of the system’s web pages. He is the author of the 1999 Special Supplementary Practice Commentary on Electronic Filing for McKinney’s CPLR 2101 and 2103, and has written articles and given presentations on electronic filing and computer evidence issues. He is co-author of the Core Curriculum used for FBEM training, has participated in such training, and remains active as the Chair of the above-mentioned Subcommittee on Technology. He can be reached at 102 Hackett Boulevard, Albany, New York, USA 12209; telephone 518-432-7511 and e-mail tgleason@gdwo.net.

Back to Top