In
January 1996, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts began development
of the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) system. CM/ECF
is a comprehensive case management system that will allow courts to maintain
electronic case files and offer electronic filing over the Internet. Courts
can make all case information immediately available electronically through
the Internet. Eventually, CM/ECF will replace the current case management
systems used by the federal courts across the country.
| Why
Electronic Case Files? |
Judges
and court staff now have the capability to access electronic docket information,
case management data and legal research materials. Most documents in the
case file, however, remain available only in paper form. As most documents
are now initially created first in electronic form, the federal courts
can further reduce the reliance on paper records by establishing electronic
case file systems. These systems should enhance the accuracy, management
and security of records, reduce delays in the flow of information and
achieve cost savings for the judiciary, the bar and litigants.
| What
are the benefits and features of using CM/ECF? |
There
are a number of significant benefits and features:
- Courts can allow
registered attorneys to file documents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Reduction of
paper, photocopy, postage and courier costs.
- Full case information
is available immediately to attorneys, parties, and the general public
through the Internet. This includes the ability to view the full text
of all filed documents.
- Attorneys on
the system will receive email notices electronically in CM/ECF cases.
This greatly speeds delivery and eliminates the costs to both the court
and attorneys of handling and mailing paper notices.
- Multiple parties
can view the same case files simultaneously.
- Since CM/ECF
uses Internet standard software, the out-of-pocket cost of participation
for attorneys is typically very low.
| What
courts provide a CM/ECF system? |
CM/ECF
is available in several district and bankruptcy courts, although the district
courts provide only civil case information at this time. Currently, a
version of CM/ECF is not available for criminal or appellate cases. For
a complete list of the CM/ECF courts visit:
http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/announcements/general/ecfnews.html
| What
is the cost for using CM/ECF? |
There
is no additional fee associated with the filing aspect of the CM/ECF system
The Judicial Conference of the United States approved an Internet access
fee of $.07 per page in 1998. This access
fee will apply to information retrieved through the system for all users,
and applies to bankruptcy court CM/ECF systems effective July 1, 2001.
The billing date for district and appellate court CM/ECF sites is dependent
on the software development schedule. Attorneys of record and parties
in a case (including pro se litigants) receive one free electronic copy
of all documents filed electronically, if receipt is required by law or
directed by the filer. No fee is owed until an account holder accrues
charges of more than $10 in a calendar year.
All
software for the project has been developed by the Administrative Office
of the United States Courts.
For
help using CM/ECF visit the PACER Service Center web site at http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov,
send email to the PACER Service Center at pacer@psc.uscourts.gov
or call (800) 676-6856 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time.
| How
are electronic documents served? |
Attorneys
of record and parties in a case (including pro se litigants) receive one
free electronic copy of all documents filed electronically if receipt
is required by law or directed by the filer. An email message containing
a hyperlink to the document filed provides notification to the intended
recipients. All users should be advised to print or save the document
during the initial viewing period in order to avoid future charges. Any
time that same hyperlink is accessed after the first use, the user will
be asked for a PACER login and will be charged to view the document.
| Can
the general public view CM/ECF cases and the documents in those cases? |
Yes,
the public can access case data in CM/ECF unless it has been sealed by
the court. The public access component of CM/ECF will require a user to
enter a PACER login and password. Because the PACER login and CM/ECF filing
login will be different, a filing attorney will need both. Established
PACER users will automatically have access to these sites; a new account
does not need to be created. For those currently not registered with PACER,
a PACER account may be obtained at: http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/register.html
| Can
any member of the public use CM/ECF to file documents with the court? |
No.
Access to the filing portion of CM/ECF is available to authorized attorneys
only. Authorization and training is provided by the practicing CM/ECF
court.
| My
firm already has a PACER login and password. Do I need to establish
a separate PACER account, or can I use the firm account? |
The
firm PACER account can be used for the query component of CM/ECF. However,
if you would like to keep the billing separate from the firm's, you will
need to establish a new PACER account. A PACER account may be obtained
at: http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/register.html
| I
am changing firms. Do I need to establish a new e-filing login and
password? |
You
do not need to register for CM/ECF more than once. Even if you change
firms, your login remains valid. However, you must update your address
and e-mail information in the "Utilities" option of the CM/ECF. It will
also be necessary to establish a new PACER login and password. A PACER
account may be obtained at: http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/register.html
| How
do I change my address with the Court? |
In
CM/ECF, click on "Utilities", "Maintain Your CM/ECF account." You can
change your address, phone, email preferences, login and password on these
screens. Local rules at each court may require that you continue to send
a paper notice of any address changes as well. Change the billing address
for PACER in the Account Information section of this web site.
| How
do I change my CM/ECF password? |
- Once logged
in, go to "Utilities" on the dark blue tool bar.
- Click on "Maintain
Your Account" in the "Your Account" section.
- Click on the
"More User Information" button at the bottom of the screen.
- Highlight the
row of asterisks in the password box and type your new password in their
place.
- Click on "Return
to Account screen" at the bottom of the page.
- Click on "Submit"
at the bottom of the page.
Change your PACER
password in the
Account Information section of this web site.
| Why
do I get a second login screen after I've already logged into ECF? |
This
login prompt is requesting your PACER login and password, which is required
whenever you request a report or document from a case. In order to bypass
this login prompt in the future, click the box that says ‘make this my
default login' after entering the PACER login and password. Your CM/ECF
login and password will still need to be entered each time the ECF site
is visited.
| Why
am I getting an invalid login message? |
Look
for a few of these common problems:
- Both the login
and password should be entered in lower case letters.
- Make sure the
proper login and password are being used for the proper database. (PACER
login for querying; CM/ECF login for filing)
- Verify that
the recommended browser is being used – Netscape Navigator version 4.7x.
- Check the location
of the web site in the location window of Netscape. The training database
is located at: https://ecf-train.COURT.uscourts.gov while the live database
is at: https://ecf.COURT.uscourts.gov (without the train) where COURT
is the code for the particular court.
- Netscape needs
to be set to accept all cookies.
| Why
do I get an invalid login message once I have already logged into
the court and I am retrieving a docket or document? |
- Verify that
the recommended browser is being used, Netscape Navigator version 4.7x.
- Make sure Netscape
Navigator is set to accept all cookies. If the problem persists, delete
your existing cookie files. Cookies are stored within the Program Files
of your computer. Once in Program Files, go into the Netscape folder.
Within one of the folders will be a cookie file. To delete the cookie
file, right click on the icon and select delete.
| Why
can I get a docket sheet, but not any of the documents provided? |
This
may occur if you are using Internet Explorer instead of the recommended
Netscape Navigator 4.7x. Another problem may be that you do not need Acrobat
software to view a docket sheet, but you do need it to view documents.
You might have Acrobat PDF on your machine but have not connected it to
Netscape. The solution--open Netscape: Options, General Preferences, and
in the dialog box add application/pdf; extension pdf and indicate the
path to the Acrobat.exe file.
|
Will we need to image over complaints from adversary files to main
cases? |
No,
it will automatically spread to the main case.
|
Does the Adversary cover sheet need to be docketed and imaged? |
No.
The Court does not require the cover sheet anymore.
|
Will Trustees be responsible for docketing 341 meeting minutes held? |
Yes,
the Trustees will be responsible for docketing their minutes.
|
How many pages can you scan at one time? |
You should scan no more than 20-25 pages at a time.
| When
docketing a pleading in an Adversary case and the Adversary Events
selection screen does not have the Document type you are looking for,
can you click on the Bankruptcy hyperlink to find the document type
you need? |
Yes, you can click on the Bankruptcy hyperlink to docket a pleading in an
Adversary case. The quickest way to find the location of a pleading is to
look at the CM/ECF Alphabetical Document Type Directory.
| When
entering a case where the Debtor is a "Sr. or Jr.", the
generation is not appearing on the Notice of Electronic Filing and
other areas. |
The generation
does not appear in several locations--the Notice of Electronic Filing,
the short title display, cases report, and at the top of each query page.
This is a problem with Version 1 and a MR (Modification Request) has been
submitted. The temporary fix is to edit the short title display through
Edit Case Data.
| How
do you print special matrices? |
Click on Utilities,
Click on Mailings, Click on Mailing Labels by Case, Enter the Case No.
and select Special Mailing Group.
| How
do you print a Creditor Mailing Matrix in a 3 column format? |
Click on Utilities,
Click on Mailings, Click on Mailing Labels by Case, Enter the Case No.
and Print format Click on 3 columns.
| How
do you print the Notice of Automatic Stay? |
Click on Query,
enter the Case #, Click on Run Query, Click on Notice of Bankruptcy Case
Filing.
| What
are the "Most Common Electronic Filing Errors"? |
1. When opening
a new Bankruptcy Case the Role Type needs to be changed to Debtor.
2. When opening a new Adversary Case and when inserting the Plaintiff's
name the Role Type needs to be changed to Plaintiff.
3. When opening
a new Adversary Case and when inserting the Defendant's name the Role
Type needs to be changed to Defendant.
4. When opening
a new Adversary, do not insert a address for the Plaintiff or the Defendant.
5. When opening
a new Adversary the Attorney needs to add himself as the Attorney for
Plaintiff.
6. Attaching the
wrong PDF.
7. When opening
a new Adversary, do not add the Attorney for Debtor as a party.
| When
docketing a Motion to Reopen and Deferring Fees by Trustee, the Receipt
# and Amount Paid fields have to be filled in. What do we type for
the Receipt #? |
For the Receipt # you will type Deferred.
| When
docketing a Motion to Avoid Lien it does not ask for what property.
Does it need to? |
Yes, the description of the property will be inserted at the Text Editing
window.
| Some
docket entries will not allow enhancement to a linked motion. Why?
(Example: Notice of Motion to Avoid Lien and links back to motion,
won't allow enhancement to motion to show specific information on
the motion.) |
When
the Motion was docketed, no information about the motion was added to
the Text Editing Window.
| When
docketing a Motion for Relief from Stay and Abandonment, it requires
the entry of two receipt #s and two filing fees. Could we take one
of these out? |
No,
this is part of the docketing with ECF and it cannot be removed. You will
just leave the text as it is.
| How
do you docket a Motion to Withdrawal as Attorney for Debtor so that
the final text does not show the Debtor as the Party filer. |
This is currently
a MR (Modification Request). Bypass the attorney screen, then Add/Create
New Party, add the Debtor's Attorney name and change the role type to attorney,
do not insert a mailing address or e-mail address for the attorney.
| When
a new case is initially filed, a prompt comes up "with or without"
for the certificate of service. How do we handle this? |
Just click on NEXT
to skip this screen.
|
Is Exhibit A for a Chapter 11 filed as a separate filing or as an
attachment to the Voluntary Petition? |
Exhibit A should
be an attachment to the Voluntary Petition.
| How
do you docket an Attorney Fee disclosure so that the final text does
not show the debtor as the party filer? |
This is currently
a MR (Modification Request). Bypass the attorney screen, then Add/Create
New Party, add the Debtor's Attorney name and change the role type to attorney,
do not insert a mailing address or e-mail address for the attorney.
| How
do you docket a Notice of Appearance in an Adversary Case? |
Click on the Bankruptcy hyperlink, from the Bankruptcy Event screen click
on the "Other" hyperlink, at the Event Selection screen click
on Notice of Appearance.
| Do
ECF attorneys need to file the Debtor Verification page with the Matrix? |
Yes,
Local Rule B-1007-1 still requires the debtor to submit a matrix and verify
as to its correctness. The verification page and a copy of the list of
creditors could be attached as a pdf to the doctype Creditor Matrix &
Verification.
| TECHNICAL
- GENERAL WEB ISSUES |
| How
can I learn about Netscape Navigator on line? |
Under
"Help", in the drop down menu at the top of the page, click on "Help Contents."
The URL for Netscape's Reference Library, which you will also find under
the Help drop down menu at the top of the page, is: http://help.netscape.com/products/client/communicator/reflib.html
| How
can I search for a word or phrase on a web page? |
Once
you select a document to review, you can perform a word search by clicking
on EDIT, then clicking on either "Find and Replace," or "Find in Document"
(or pressing Ctrl+F), and entering the word(s) you wish to locate in the
document. For documents in PDF format (viewable using Adobe Acrobat Reader)
search by clicking on "TOOLS," then "FIND" (or Ctrl+F), and proceed the
same way. Note, if the PDF document is an image file, as opposed to a
text file, searching the document is not possible. As the names imply,
a text file is one created in the first instance using a word processing,
spreadsheet, or similar program, while an image file is created by scanning
a document using a document scanner or fax machine
| What
is a "link" or "hyperlink"? |
A
"link" or "hyperlink" is a shortcut to another website or web page. These
are represented by a word or phrase underlined in blue. For example, if
you ""CLICK" on one of the items on the "What's New?" section of this
website, you will be taken to the item described by the"link".
A
plug-in is a small add-on piece of software that extends the capabilities
of your web browser, such as Netscape Navigator. A plug-in may, for example,
enable you to view files written in a format other than HTML, the language
used to create Internet web sites, or to listen to audio files or view
videos.
| How
can I create a shortcut icon on my desk top that will take me directly
to the CM/ECF system? |
While
on the Desktop screen, right click the mouse and then click on "new",
followed by "shortcut." The next screen will ask for a command line. For
example, to setup a shortcut to the CM/ECF system for a court, type "
http://ecf.COURT.uscourts.gov/" in the space and then click "next."
Change the name of the shortcut to CM/ECF-Court or some other designation
of your choosing and then click on "Finish." COURT is the code
for the particular court. For example, New York Southern Bankruptcy would
be nysb.
| TECHNICAL
- CM/ECF ISSUES |
| What
hardware and software will attorneys need to participate in CM/ECF? |
Attorneys
will need the following hardware and software to electronically file,
view, and retrieve documents in the electronic filing system.
- A personal computer
running a standard platform such as Windows or Macintosh.
- Internet service.
- Netscape Navigator
version 4.6 or 4.7. Netscape 6 is not recommended for use with CM/ECF.
- Software to
convert documents from a word processor format to portable document
format (PDF). Adobe Acrobat PDF Writer, as well as certain word processing
programs can perform this function. For viewing documents, not authoring
them, only Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed.
- A PDF-compatible
word processor like Macintosh or Windows-based versions of WordPerfect
and Word.
- A scanner to
transmit documents that are not in your word processing system.
| Why
must I use Netscape 4.7x? Why not Internet Explorer? |
CM/ECF
has not been fully tested with Internet Explorer (IE). Problems with IE
have been reported in two areas: Javascript errors and errors caused by
IE not accepting URLs that exceed 1024 characters in length, as some of
those generated while navigating in the CM/ECF system do. The CM/ECF development
team is working on, this problem. We hope that future versions of the
system will work better with a wider range of browsers, but we cannot
predict the delivery date of such versions. Note that Version 6 of Netscape,
released in late 2000, is also incompatible with the CM/ECF application
because of the way it treats cookies.
| How
does Netscape need to be set up to view this site? |
The
default settings in Netscape will work. You need version 4.7x (click on"
Help, "About Netscape" from the Netscape main menu to find out which version
you have.) If you do not have this version, you may want to download it
from Netscape. In order to send email from Netscape, you will need to
ensure the email options are set up properly in Netscape. In version 4.7x
this means clicking on "Edit", "Preferences", "Mail Groups". Enter your
email address and SMTP server name (the SMTP server name is assigned by
your internet service provider).
| My
machine locks up at the login screen, but other attorneys at my firm
don't have that problem—why me? |
If
you get to the login screen and the system hangs when you try to complete
your login, something is blocking the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) port 443
(that's the point where we transition from web port 80 to SSL port 443).
The systems person at your firm needs to look at the router and any firewalls
the firm has set up to determine where the blocking is taking place. Attorneys
at a firm may experience this problem while other attorneys at the same
firm do not because they may be directed to different proxy servers.
| Why
does my session freeze? |
If
you find your session freezing after you have hit "SUBMIT", try using
the Back button to return to the previous screen and click on SUBMIT again.
It may be the case that the session has not really halted; this kind of
misbehavior is common to browser-based applications
| Why
can I not access a previous page viewed by clicking on the "Back"
button on the browser after selecting a link? |
Unlike
most programs, a web browser will open multiple windows. In other words,
two or more windows in which the browser appears may be active at the
same time. Look at the tool bar at the bottom of the screen, this is the
same bar where the start button is located. If the Netscape logo appears
on two different buttons, you have more than one window open. Click on
the button that is not active (not highlighted) to open the previous window.
If there is only one window open, click on the "GO" menu item at the very
top of the screen; a drop down menu will appear where you can click on
the address of the page to which you wish to return.
| Why
can I not view a document from an email notifying me that something
was filed? |
Make
sure your email system is set to open links with the Internet Browser
Netscape Navigator version 4.6x or 4.7x. If you get a login screen when
you request the document, make sure you enter your PACER login not your
filing CM/ECF login id and password. The first time you view the linked
document in an email notice, it will be free. Anytime after the first
viewing, you will be charged to view the document. The document should
be saved to your local hard drive during your first view.
| If
I forward an email notification I received to another individual will
that individual be charged for viewing the document? |
The
document within an email notification is accessed by a hyperlink. This
hyperlink takes you to a site which will allow the first viewing to be
free. The first individual to view the linked document will not be charged.
If you forward the email notification without viewing the document, the
recipient of the email will be able to view the document for free. Anytime
after the first viewing, a charge will be incurred to view the document.
The document should be saved to a local hard drive during the first viewing.
| I
receive a "Data Missing" error when I try to print reports from CM/ECF? |
Some
users have reported when trying to print large dockets or other reports
from the CM/ECF system that they received an error message stating: "Data
Missing - This document resulted from a POST operation and has expired
from the cache. If you wish you can repost the form data to recreate the
document by pressing the reload button." To fix this problem, we recommend
increasing the size of your cache dramatically. In Netscape, this can
be accomplished by going to: Edit, Preferences. Double click on Advanced.
Click on Cache. The size of the memory and disk cache will be displayed.
Increase the size of each and click OK. You should close your browser
and restart it before continuing.
| TECHNICAL
- ADOBE RELATED |
Documents
in Portable Document File (PDF) format do not require a copy of the word
processing program used to create them in order to be viewed. They can
be viewed by anyone with a free Acrobat Reader, a product of Adobe Systems,
Inc. In addition to its cross platform advantage, a PDF document matches
very closely the format of the original document in which the PDF document
was created. All of the pleadings in the CM/ECF system are stored in PDF
format. To view PDF files, you must have a copy of Acrobat Reader software,
which you may download free from the Adobe Systems Internet website http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
. You will view PDF documents the way they were created, and you may save
and print them in that format.
Adobe
Acrobat is a commercial software product from Adobe that allows you to
save documents in PDF (portable document format). All documents filed
in CM/ECF must be in PDF format. The most recent version, 5.0, is available
for approximately $220-250. There may be volume discounts for multiple
orders.
| How
do I make a PDF document with Adobe Acrobat? |
A)
When creating a new document to be filed, before writing the document,
first change the print driver from the default printer (e.g., HP5Si) to
"Acrobat PDFWriter" by selecting "File"/"Print" and then selecting "Acrobat
PDFWriter" as the current printer. B) Write your document and when finished,
select "File"/"Print". Ensure that "Acrobat PDFWriter" is selected as
the printer and then name your file (and place it in the proper directory)
and click OK. The file will be created with a .pdf extension. In doing
this, you are not actually printing your document to a printer; instead
you are saving it to a file. To print a physical copy of the document,
open the newly-created .pdf file and print to your local printer. Always
print from this PDF file, rather than the word-processed file that created
it to ensure that the paper and electronic versions are consistent. Alternatively,
you can set the printer to "Acrobat PDFWriter" after the document has
been created to save it to a PDF file, but there is a possibility of introducing
a formatting discrepancy, if, for instance, a page break is not the same
in the PDF file as it was in the word-processed file. Adobe Acrobat 5.0
was tested for its ability to maintain font integrity through conversions
to PDF of documents created in WordPerfect and Microsoft Word. All of
the 32 fonts tested were done with a 12 point size. The results show that
while characteristics of some fonts were lost in the conversion (e.g.,
they appeared smaller), every font conversion produced legible results
and none produced a problem with either character spacing or character
overlap (superimposition).
| I
tried to scan my document into PDF but a lot of errors appeared. |
You
are probably trying to scan the document using optical character recognition
(OCR)--don't do this. PDF can handle both text and scanned documents.
It can also take scanned documents and perform OCR on them, turning the
image back into editable text. However, this process has many problems
and should not be done before e-filing them. It is permissible to perform
OCR on PDF documents after they are in the e-filing system, since any
OCR errors will not be placed in the official documents at the court.
| How
do you start the Adobe Acrobat Reader program in order to view a PDF
document on a website? |
Adobe
Acrobat Reader is a plugin that Netscape will automatically launch when
you try to access a document stored in PDF format. If you do not have
the Adobe Reader, your computer will show you a set of applications from
which to choose a program that will read the file. None of them will work,
which is why you must download the Adobe Reader from Adobe Systems' website.
To download a free copy of Acrobat Reader, click on http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
| Is
it possible to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader open in a separate window,
one not a part of Netscape Navigator, or, alternatively, if the Adobe
Reader opens on my PC as a separate Window, is it possible to make
it open within the browser? |
The
answer to both question is "yes." In Adobe Acrobat or the Adobe Reader,
click on "File", then "Preferences", then "General". In the Options section
at the bottom of the window labeled "General Preferences," check the box
(by clicking on it if it is blank) beside "Web Browser Integration" to
make a PDF document open within the browser. Uncheck that box (by clicking
on it if it is checked) to cause Acrobat or the Adobe Reader to open in
a separate window. In most instances, a user will prefer the Adobe program
to open in its own window. This allows access to the Adobe banner menu
across the top of the screen and many more lines of the document will
be displayed than if the document were displayed in the browser. Alternatively,
one can make Acrobat or the Reader display PDF files in a separate window
by moving a plug-in file called Nppdf32.dll from the Netscape\Navigator\Programs\Plugins
directory or the Netscape\Communicator\Program\Plugins directory to the
Acrobat\Reader\Browser or Acrobat\Exchange\Browser directory. To cause
the Reader to open in Netscape, put a copy of Nppdf32.dll in both plug-in
directories. Exit the browser and recall it for the change to take effect.
| Is
the optimum way of viewing PDF files within Netscape Navigator or
in a separate window? |
This
is more of a matter of personal preference. Some of the functionality
of the Reader is lost when the PDF document is opened in a browser window.
For example, in the browser window, you do not have the Adobe Reader menu
line and cannot use control + various keys to operate the Reader software.
Additionally, direct connection to Adobe's online help is not available
when the Reader opens within the browser. Nonetheless, most of the functions
accessible either using the menu or shortcuts when the Reader opens in
its own window can be accessed using the various button icons that remain
available when the Reader is opened within the browser. To save a PDF
file opened in the browser window, click on the browser file menu at the
top of the screen and then on "Save Frame As."
| When
I print an image from CM/ECF, the right edge gets cut off. |
After
you click the print icon, click the ‘shrink to fit' box on the printer
setup screen. Once the setting has been changed, it should remain this
way for all PDF documents.
| How
do I copy a PDF text file to my word processor? |
If
a PDF document contains text, as opposed to an image, you can select text
and do a normal copy and paste. Using the Acrobat Reader, one can select
no more than a page at a time. To copy a large text file in PDF format,
it may be easier to use Adobe Acrobat to save the PDF document to a file.
(If the Adobe Reader is embedded in Netscape so that it opens up within
Netscape instead of a separate window, use the Save Frame option under
File. You may also save a PDF document by right-clicking on the link to
that document and then clicking on "Save Link As."). After noting or choosing
the directory in which you save the PDF file, open the document in Acrobat.
Under "Edit", there is a menu pick called "Copy To Clipboard". Once the
document is copied to the Windows Clipboard, open your word processing
program and paste the document in a new document. You can select, copy
and paste text in Acrobat, but you must first select the text tool (look
for the T on the toolbar) instead of the hand. Then select the text, and
either right-click and choose copy, or use the Acrobat copy icon (to the
left of the Text tool on the Acrobat toolbar.
| Can
I use Adobe Acrobat 5.0? |
Adobe
Corporation recently released a new version (Version 5) of its Acrobat
Portable Document Format (PDF) conversion software. The Administrative
Office(AO) of the United States Courts' CM/ECF Development Team extensively
tested and evaluated the capabilities and compatibility of the newest
version with the CM/ECF service. These test results indicate that court
personnel and lawyers can use Version 5 PDF documents without any adverse
effects to CM/ECF. For those attempting to review and store PDF documents,
Versions 3.x, 4.x and 5 are both downward and upward compatible – i.e.,
a PDF document created with Version 5 can be reviewed with a Version 4.x
reader and a Version 4.x document can be reviewed with a Version 5 reader.
There are a few precautions that should be taken when installing and using
Version 5 with CM/ECF. Adobe Acrobat Version 5 offers two packages ("drivers"),
Acrobat 5 Distiller and Acrobat 5 Writer, for converting documents into
PDF. While Adobe's standard installation procedures automatically install
the Distiller package, the AO strongly recommends that all CM/ECF users
"Custom" install and normally use the Adobe Writer 5 driver software.
The PDF Writer version converts files into PDF significantly faster and
produces significantly smaller PDF files than the Adobe Distiller version.
| I'm
trying to docket an event and it tells me that this transaction has
already been posted, but I look on the docket and it's not there. |
What
has probably happened is that you docketed an event for a case, and then
clicked on the Netscape back button a few times to get to a point where
you could enter another case number and then docketed another event. By
clicking the back button, instead of clicking on ‘Bankruptcy Events' you
are keeping the information pulled for the last case you docketed. As
long as you click on the menu item instead of clicking on Back you'll
be fine - only use the back button to correct a mistake on an event you
are in the process of docketing, not to change cases.
| How
can I verify whether or not all the documents I filed electronically
were posted? |
To
ensure the documents transmitted arrive in their entirety, it is important
to examine the document after it is received by the court. This can be
done by viewing the docket sheet for the case and selecting the transmitted
document. The number of the transmitted documents appears on your electronic
filing receipt.
| When
I query a case in CM/ECF, it gives me the previous case I looked at
instead. |
Check
your Cache settings in netscape. The "verify documents" entry should have
the ‘once per session' or ‘every time' entry checked, but not the ‘never'
entry. In Netscape 4 this can be found by clicking on "Edit", "Preferences,"
"Advanced," "Cache." The Netscape default of ‘once per session' will work
fine.
| I
tried to file a document but it says "format not recognized"—what
am I doing wrong? |
All
documents must be submitted in Adobe PDF (portable document format) with
an extension of ".pdf". Two common errors occur. First, a user thinks
that he/she saved the document in PDF. The user then tries to file the
WordPerfect version of the document; not the saved PDF version. Second,
a user fails to indicate the full path name for the PDF file he/she wants
to upload. Because the system could not find the file, it responded with
the "format not recognized" message. The solution--provide the full path
name when identifying the file (example: "c:\documents\motion.pdf") during
the upload process.
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