St. Mary Parish Announces New Electronic Filing System The St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court has begun accepting civil and criminal filings through CottFile, an electronic filing platform developed for Louisiana parish courts. Effective July 31, all civil and criminal filings submitted electronically to the clerk’s office must be filed through CottFile; filings through other electronic systems will no longer be accepted.Attorneys may create an account at cottfile.com. A single account can be used for both civil and criminal filings, and firms may invite multiple team members to participate. The system provides submission timestamps and email, text and in-app notifications throughout the clerk’s review process. There is currently no filing fee for criminal matters. All pleadings should include email addresses for the parties who are to receive notices. When an email address is not provided, notices may be sent by certified mail at the client’s expense. For more information or step-by-step guidance on how to set up your CottFile account, click here, call 1-800-588-2688 or email cottfile@cottsystems.com.