Less than a year from now, Ohio courts that operate specialized docket programs will be required to be initially certified by the Ohio Supreme Court.

To help courts prepare for certification, the Supreme Court has compiled several step-by-step guides on its website. Click the “Specialized Dockets Certification” button on the Supreme Court’s home page at www.sc.ohio.gov to access the guides.

The guides include a flowchart overview that lists the steps necessary for certification, a certification application, and several templates to adopt local rules, prepare handbooks, and execute participation agreements.

The Supreme Court adopted specialized docket rule amendments in November that outline the certification procedures. The certification requirement will be effective January 1, 2014.

Under the certification amendments, courts operating specialized dockets would be required to submit an application, undergo a site visit, and submit specific program materials to the Specialized Docket Section as part of the certification process.

“While the standards seek to create a minimum level of uniform practices for specialized dockets, they still allow local specialized dockets to innovate and tailor their specialized docket to respond to local needs and resources,” the rules state.

View the text of the rules.

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