April Maycock, probate register and IT director for the Wayne County Probate Court, told the Wayne County Commission Committee on Ways and Means on Sept. 24, 2025, that the court has completed a large-scale digitization of case files for recent years, expanded its Behavioral Health Unit’s assisted outpatient treatment program and is confronting persistent staffing and self-representation challenges.

The updates matter because the probate court handles guardianships, conservatorships, estate matters and other cases that often involve vulnerable residents and contested, time-sensitive proceedings. Maycock said the court’s technology and service changes are intended to improve public access and reduce procedural hurdles.

Maycock described several components of the court’s modernization effort. The court finished a project to digitize paper files and made public-file access available online for documents filed after April 1, 2022, citing privacy protections tied to PII legislation passed that date. “We finished the complete digitization of all paper files in Wayne County probate court,” Maycock said, and noted that documents with protected personal information remain restricted from public display and must be viewed on-site and redacted as needed. She added that the court has added step-by-step YouTube videos and a website chatbot, “Ask Wayne,” to help people find the correct forms and instructions.

The court has also moved many systems to the cloud and upgraded courtroom audio-video and visitor-management systems. Maycock said the court continues to offer Zoom hearings and that remote hearings have improved attendance: “by far, the remote hearing is successful for probate court,” she told commissioners, later quantifying remote hearings as about 97% of hearings in one exchange. The court also installed security cameras, upgraded card-access systems and renovated the customer service area on the 13th floor at the KMAC building.

Maycock highlighted the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) and its assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) program, saying the BHU’s success has informed expansion beyond Wayne County: “the Michigan Diversion Council is now providing funding to additional counties to support and establish their own AOT initiative,” she said. The AOT program’s stated goal is to reduce incarceration and hospitalization of people with serious mental-health challenges by coordinating treatment and supports.

Staffing and self‑represented litigant workload topped commissioners’ questions. Maycock said last year’s turnover rate in the probate court was 28% and that the court faces frequent extended leaves of absence; she added that many new hires leave during the probationary period. “Last year's turnover rate for us was 28%,” Maycock said. That turnover contributes to a staffing squeeze that affects processing speed, quality-control checks and customer service, she said. Commissioners and staff discussed recruitment, training, and the possibility of adding positions to reduce backlogs.

Maycock and Chief Deputy Jennifer Parmalee described the heavy burden created by self‑represented litigants, who often ask staff for legal advice the court cannot give. To address that, the court has published online checklists, sample forms and instructional videos and maintains a phone and counter service for people who need in-person help. Maycock said the court’s “Ask Wayne” chatbot and website resources help many users but do not solve all cases: some residents still require direct, staff‑guided assistance.

On guardianship and conservatorship, Maycock and commissioners agreed the county faces a shortage of willing guardians statewide, including professional guardians. The court said judges are tightening letters of authority and orders to clarify guardians’ powers and in some cases require conservatorships when financial thresholds are met so the court can better monitor fiduciary activity.

Maycock described other priorities the court is monitoring, including statewide e‑filing (the court is awaiting contact from the State Court Administrative Office about implementation) and possible ethical uses of generative artificial intelligence in court operations. She said the court is watching AI developments but will evaluate benefits and risks before adopting new tools.

The presentation included several operational clarifications requested by commissioners: the court retains certain original records (such as original wills) in paper form, older back-scanned file batches are restricted from online display because of potential PII, and the court uses a 60-day hold shelf and validation steps before destroying paper copies after scanning. Maycock said roughly 90% of older files that could be digitized have been scanned and that nearly all new filings are digital from intake.

The hearing produced no formal vote related to probate operations; commissioners asked the court staff to return with follow-ups on staffing, mission-critical metrics and implementation timing for requested priorities.

Looking ahead, Maycock asked for continued support for recruitment and retention, for expansion of access tools, and for coordination with legal-aid and bar-association partners to expand clinic-style help for self‑represented litigants. “We want to continue to offer these types of services because that’s what the public demands of us,” she said.

The committee’s discussion will factor into budget recommendations the committee forwards to the full commission.