LASC: SUPERIOR COURT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY TO EXPAND ELECTRONIC SERVICE FOR JUVENILE DEPENDENCY CASE DOCUMENTS STARTING MARCH 3, 2025

Starting March 3, 2025, the Superior Court of Los Angeles County will use electronic service (eService) to transmit, deliver, or serve required case documents in Juvenile Dependency cases. This expansion to Juvenile Dependency case documents builds on the Court’s phased rollout of eService, which began in December 2024 with Juvenile Dependency appeals and later extended to appeals in Family Law, Probate, Mental Health, and Limited and Unlimited Civil. Full implementation of eService for all Family Law, Probate, Mental Health, and Civil case documents is expected to roll out in the coming months and be completed by July 1, 2025.

Under the new policy, represented parties will be required to accept eService. Self-represented parties will have the option to receive electronic notices. eService allows attorneys and self-represented litigants to receive case documents electronically from the Court, streamlining case management and offering several benefits, including:

• Efficiency and Timeliness: Attorneys will be automatically enrolled in eService, providing faster notification and document delivery. Self-represented litigants who opt for eService will experience quicker service than traditional mailing methods.
• Convenience and Flexibility: Case documents can be securely accessed electronically from any location, provided users maintain an up-to-date email address for eService.
• Enhanced Security: Secure links with multi-factor authentication ensure document integrity.
• Automatic Proof of Service: eService provides automatic proof of service for recipients.

What to Know About eService

Under California Rule of Court 2.251, electronic service is equivalent to service by mail, express mail, overnight delivery, or fax transmission. Attorneys are required to accept eService, while self-represented litigants may opt in by filing a consent form. eService from the Court has the same legal effect as service by mail.

A party who the Court serves a document via eService will be provided an additional two court days under Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) 101.6(a)(3) to respond.

Express consent is required for self-represented litigants who choose eService. Consent may be provided by filing a Consent to Electronic Service and Notice of Electronic Service Address form. Please see below for more details on Service:

1. Opting In: Self-represented litigants may opt-in for eService by filing an Electronic Service: Consent, Withdrawal of Consent, Address Change (Juvenile) (EFS-005-JV/JV-141) form.
2. eService Lists: The Court will maintain an eService list for each case type, including the email addresses of litigants who consent to Service.
3. Maintaining eService Addresses: Any changes to an eService address must be promptly updated by the litigant or attorney to ensure seamless communication. Parties may submit a completed EFS-005-JV/JV-141 form to update their email address of record at any time.
4. Service Completion: Rule 2.251 outlines that service by electronic notification is deemed complete per Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6 when the electronic notification of service of the document is sent.
5. Secure Access: All eService notices from the Court will be sent from CourtNotify@lacourt.org and include a secure link to access served documents, with a time-sensitive code to ensure security. Access will require multi-factor authentication to ensure security and integrity.

Additional Resources:

The following resources are available to assist court users with the phased rollout of eService:

• Video tutorial on Service.

For questions or technical assistance with eService, court users are encouraged to call 213-830-0400.

You can view the full notice here.