eService to Launch on October 7

Redwood City – Beginning October 7, 2024, the San Mateo County Superior Court will begin electronically serving documents, known as eService, to attorneys with Civil, Family, and Probate case types ahead of the July 1, 2025 state deadline.

Attorneys will automatically receive eService for court-issued documents that are required to be transmitted, delivered, or served pursuant to the provisions outlined in California Code of Civil Procedure § 1010.6. Common examples of documents subject to eService include Notice of Hearing, Notice of Assignment, Notice of Order, and Notice of Judgment. Attorney email addresses for eService will be sourced from the eFiled documents for a respective case. The Judicial Council of California form EFS-010, “Notice of Change of Electronic Service Address” may be eFiled with the Court to update the attorney email address on file.

Self-represented litigants with Civil, Family, and Probate cases also have the opportunity to opt-in to eService by filing the Judicial Council of California form EFS-005-CV, “Consent to Electronic Service and Notice of Electronic Service Address” with the Court. Once self-represented litigants enroll in eService, they will no longer receive service by mail from the Court unless consent to receive eService is withdrawn. Parties without attorney representation may enroll in eService before the October 7 launch date.

eService will be secured using a multi-factor authentication process. Recipients of eService will first receive an email from the Court with a link to the document and an access code. The link will direct parties to a secure website that will require a unique, time-sensitive verification code. A second email will provide the verification code needed to access the document. Once access is established using the verification code, the document will become enabled for download only.

More information about eService and links to the Judicial Council of California forms will be made available on the Court’s website in advance of October 7: sanmateo.courts.ca.gov.