How One Growing County Increased Access to Justice for Residents
Travis County’s largest city, Austin, was adding 150 residents per day. That growing population brought growing challenges in providing access to justice, especially with only five justices of the peace. With some residents taking days off to drive over 30 miles for court services, and the city’s traffic and transportation issues in an increasingly congested city, providing better access to justice became a major priority.
The county looked to Tyler’s Modria solution to provide online dispute resolution (ODR) as an alternative to the costly, time-consuming traditional court process. Travis County and Tyler worked together on Modria processes and procedures to build an innovative tool for the county’s citizens, becoming the first court in Texas and the first justice court in the nation to launch Modria. The impact was so great in small claims cases that they are planning to quickly expand capabilities to other case types.
Since Austin is known as a hub of technology and innovation, its citizens expect a higher level of technological advancement and engagement – as they would in a modern retail environment. Thanks to innovative in-house solutions working alongside several Tyler products, including Modria, Travis County residents are now having those expectations met with one of the most technologically advanced and efficient justice courts in Texas.
Results
- Dramatically reduced case resolution times, with one case being resolved in 2 hours instead of the typical 6 months
- Reduced traffic congestion and citizen time taken off work to resolve disputes
- Increased access and convenience of services for a large, geographically dispersed population
- Met the demands of a community that expects high levels of technological advancement
- Adoption received so well in permissive environment, they are transitioning to mandatory for eligible cases