(ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – October 4, 2017)  The Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management (MAACM) has honored Maryland courts for their work to modernize the land records recording process.  MAACM has awarded the John Neufeld Court Achievement Award for 2017 to the Maryland Judiciary for its new recording system, which allows the electronic recordation, or e-recording, of land record documents.

E-recording provides a convenient alternative to the current paper filing process, which is cumbersome and time-consuming.  In the paper-based process, title companies and attorneys recording a land record transaction must visit several locations to get approvals from the Department of Assessments and Taxation, county finance offices, and the Circuit Courts.  E-recording is more convenient because title companies and attorneys are able to access the online system at any time from their offices.

“The Maryland Judiciary is committed to using technology to increase efficiency and to meet the need for convenient, secure, and streamlined court services,” said Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera.  “The Neufeld Award recognizes not only a significant improvement of the recordation process, but also our ongoing, successful collaboration with state and local government partners and other important stakeholders who rely on court information.”

The e-recording system launched as a pilot in 2015 as a collaborative effort of the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Baltimore County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Baltimore County’s Department of Budget and Finance, and the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.  Following the success of the pilot, the Judiciary has worked in partnership with county finance offices and townships to provide e-recording in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, and Washington counties.  E-recording is expected to be an option in all Maryland jurisdictions within the next 18 months.

Last year, nearly 50,000 documents were processed through the e-recording system.  As e-recording becomes available throughout the state, that number is expected to grow significantly, given 768,000 land record property transfer and related documents were processed in Maryland during the same period.  Based on current trends, about 65 percent, or nearly 500,000 documents, are expected to be recorded electronically each year.

The Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management (MAACM), with more than 700 court professionals as members, is committed to the fair and effective administration of justice through improved management of courts.  MAACM provides regional information-sharing forums, continuing education, and collegial networking for a broad diversity of court professionals.

The John Neufeld Court Achievement Award recognizes a group or court system in the mid-Atlantic region that develops or implements a significant or unique initiative that improves customer service, promotes teamwork toward fulfilling the mission of the organization, and uses current technologies.

“MAACM is honored to present this prestigious award in John’s name to the Maryland Judiciary. John would be proud that his legacy and passion for court education and improvement has lived on,” said Donna Mazzanti, Immediate Past President of MAACM.

MAACM presented the award to the Maryland Judiciary on September 26 during the 2017 MAACM Annual Conference in Portsmouth, Virginia.

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