http://www.lawnewsnetwork.com/practice/techlaw/news/A9676-1999Nov15.html

The Supreme Y2K Fix Comes Down to the Wire

By Rinat Fried

The Recorder/Cal Law

November 16, 1999

The electronic world is hurtling toward the millennium, but the California Supreme Court's computer system is still a step or two behind.

Court officials acknowledge that right now, the court's computerized docketing system isn't Year-2000 compliant. But they expect to get it running by year's end.

"It's a serious problem, and it's under control," says Robert Wandruff, the clerk of the court.

Like many other antiquated computer systems, the court's outdated Wang computers and Promis software can't recognize four-digit dates.

That's a problem, especially for a computer system designed to keep tabs on hundreds of cases and spit out letters and memoranda apprising counsel and court staff of upcoming dates. If that's a date after Jan. 1, 2000, the computer is in trouble.

But Wandruff isn't panicking. He says the court's computer folks are already testing a new system, FullCourt, that will replace Promis. FullCourt has been in development for about 14 months.

Edward Jessen, the court's official reporter, says "Everyone who appears to know something about it is confident that the court will be maintaining its docketing system in the next millennium."

Still, Wandruff admits, the court's Y2K solution has been riddled with delays. Staff has known for at least three years that it needs to replace its outdated computers. Back then, Wandruff says, the court had the option of using a system developed for the Sixth District Court of Appeal. But he said the court thought it could do better if it asked the Administrative Office of the Courts to create a new software program from scratch.

The AOC hired Albuquerque, N.M.-based Justice Systems Inc. for the job, but initial testing didn't go too well. "We found bugs and things that didn't work as we expected them to," Wandruff says.

So the court sent the system back for more fixes. Testing is once again underway, and Wandruff says the system may be running by the end of the month. Maybe. If not, Wandruff says there will be a workaround that, while not a model of elegance, should prevent all hell from breaking loose come Jan. 1.

"We're definitely not on schedule. This project has had a lot of slippage," he says. "Are we in trouble? Definitely not."

One upside, Wandruff says, is that eventually the new system will allow attorneys to file documents electronically and check calendar entries over the Web.

But right now, Wandruff's more concerned about solving the Y2K problem.

"We're kind of down to the wire," he says, "in case you hadn't noticed."

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@Tminus45&counting.down), November 16, 1999

Answers

Burning a little midnight oil at the courthouse?

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), November 16, 1999.

Oh MY GOD! What will all those poor starving lawyers do in the mean time? Anyone wanna pass the hat?

...uh, sorry, I lost my head fer a second......I'm OK, really...

Kook

-- Y2Kook (Y2Kook@usa.net), November 16, 1999.

"Slippage" right down the slippery slope.

slide Infomagic

-- bailing (before@masses.drown), November 16, 1999.