Our mission is to help streamline the Texas judicial system and make the legal process more accessible to all the citizens of Texas. These objectives are the foundation of everything we do.
From time to time we are asked about the roles of the service providers, TexasOnline, their relationship, and how eFiling fees are determined. To help improve understanding on these topics we have developed the following fee comparison chart for each of the service providers and provided background information of the Texas eFiling Model.
( Updated August, 2007 )
Electronic Filing
Serivce Provider (EFSP) |
Corporate Office
Location |
Cost Breakdown * (per Filing) |
| County |
TexasOnline |
EFSP Charges |
TOTAL |
| Case File Xpress |
Irving, TX |
|
$16.00 |
| One Legal |
Novato, CA |
|
$15.95 |
| My File Runner |
Austin, TX |
|
$11.50 |
| Court File America |
Houston, TX |
|
$11.00 |
| Efile4Court |
Austin, TX |
|
$10.00 |
| eLawServices |
Houston, TX |
|
$10.00 |
| ProDoc |
Universal City, TX |
|
$7.00 |
| Forms WorkFlow |
Encino, CA |
|
$6.00 |
|
* |
Does not include 2.25% credit card processing fee for all service providers |
| ** |
Forms WorkFlow does not charge a service provider fee as an incentive to subscribe to their other features |
The Texas e-Filing Model
Several factors helped shape the Texas eFiling model. First were some key statutes. The Texas legislature established the Supreme Court's fifteen member Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT) as the leader in defining the eFiling model for Texas. The Texas legislative also created TexasOnline as the official government portal for the State and requires that state agencies use the portal for their e-government services.
Lessons learned from earlier eFiling efforts in Jefferson and Montgomery counties in Texas and in other states also helped shape the model. Finally, the rules for the intial eFiling pilot in Texas were largely influenced by the attitude of filers. Their concerns, fears, and doubts had to incorporated into the model if eFiling was to be successful.
For those interested in learning more about the Texas Model see Electronic Court Filing: The Texas Model.
Components of the Texas Model
In the Texas Model, TexasOnline serves as the court's Electronic File Manager (EFM). Commercial vendors act as the Electronic Filing Service Providers (EFSP) who must be certified as meeting the technical standards established by TexasOnline and JCIT. JCIT's startegy and intent was for the service provider market to be open and competitive. EFSPs are free to sell their services at any price the filers will pay.
There are currently three price components in the total cost to an eFiler:
| Texas Online Transaction Fee |
$4.00 |
| County Convenience Fee |
$2.00 |
| Service Provider Fee (varies) |
$0.00 - $10.00 |
| Total Cost (per filing) |
$6.00 - $16.00 |
The EFSPs on the low cost end of the range appear to base their price on added or existing products and services they offer (i.e. monthly subscriptions). The EFSPs on the upper price end focus primarily on providing electronic filing services in multi-states and tend to have higher sales and marketing expenses that must be recovered in their fee.