United States Bankruptcy Court - District of ColoradoCase Management/Electronic Case Filing
FAQ
1. What is the Case Management/Electronic Case File (CM/ECF) project? General Questions 1. What is the Case Management/Electronic case file (CM/ECF) project? CM/ECF is a two-part solution to the judiciary's case management and filing needs. The system includes the capability for electronic files, including
the ability to accept court filings over the Internet. CM/ECF allows all
documents associated with a court case to be managed electronically. It supports the unique interests of different communities --
courts, attorneys and the public -- while providing a next generation case management system. Eventually the traditional case file will
be a completely electronic "case file" that does not have any or very little paper. 2. What are the benefits and features of using ECF? There are a number of significant benefits and features: a) Registered attorneys are able to file documents with the court 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, from any location (home or office), b) Public access to case information is available to all registered users (attorneys, parties and the general public) through the Internet.
This includes the ability to view the full text of all filed documents and images, c) Immediate e-mail notification of case activity to parties and court staff, d) Secure storage of documents, e) Immediate and concurrent access to case files, f) Reduced need for physical file space, g) Future ability to view archived files without retrieval from records storage facility. CM/ECF is the key automation project in the federal judiciary. All software development for the project is done centrally, by employees
of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts in Washington, DC. 4. What are the hardware/software requirements for ECF? Hardware: Software: Internet Adobe Acrobat is commercial software from Adobe that allows you to save your documents in PDF (portable document format). All
documents filed in ECF must be in PDF format (with the exception of the case mailing matrix, which is required to be in txt format).
Acrobat is available from commercial software retailers for approximately $200 - $300. Adobe also distributes a program called
Acrobat Reader that allows you to view and print (but not create) PDF documents. The reader is available at no cost through Adobe's website
at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html. 6. How is payment of filing fees handled for ECF cases? Payment for ECF filings fees will be made by credit card. 7. How is the requirement of an original signature (attorney and/or debtor) handled for ECF cases?
The Court implemented Third Amended General Procedure Order (GPO) 2001-8 on May 1, 2007.
This GPO and related Administrative Procedures for Electronic Case Files
establish the practices and procedures for the filing, signing, and
verification of documents by electronic means. Specifically, the use of an
attorney's court issued password to file documents electronically shall
constitute the signature of that attorney for purposes of Fed.R.Bankr.P. 9011.
In addition, the Administrative Procedures
require that every petition,
pleading, motion, and other paper served or filed in accordance with the
procedures shall be subscribed by the attorney signing such pleading or
document with a facsimile imaged signature or an "electronic signature",
e.g. "s/Jane Doe". Please refer to GPO 2001-8 for further information on
signatures.
Yes, but the court recommends that such access be very limited and controlled since whatever is filed under that name and password
is deemed to have the attorney's signature on it. 9. How can I obtain current information and updates regarding the
CM/ECF Project? Interested parties can visit the court's website at www.cob.uscourts.gov for updates on
the project. In addition, you can contact Diane Hunter, at 720-904-7442 10. How does an attorney become an authorized CM/ECF user? Attorneys must obtain the required hardware and software and complete a CM/ECF training class
that will be offered by the Court. For more information on training options, visit our website at www.cob.uscourts.gov. 11. What ECF training and support is available for
attorneys and others in their offices. Attorneys and/or support staff must complete a court administered training program. Classroom instruction will take place in the court's training facility. Attorneys may also utilize a Computer Based Training module to complete the training. Upon completion of the training program, a
live login and password will be issued to those parties authorized to file documents on the ECF database. The ECF Help Desk is available for training and support questions. The Help Desk is available Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm MST at 720-904-7450. 12. How does it work? The electronic case files system accepts documents in a portable document
format (PDF). PDF retains the way a document looks, so the pages, fonts and
other formatting are preserved. Filing a document with the court’s CM/ECF
system is quite easy: 13. Can the general public view ECF cases and the
documents in those cases? Public users will be charged to view ECF reports and queries. PACER accounts
will be required and may be obtained by contacting the Pacer Service Center by
telephone 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday-Friday CST at (800) 676-6856, or via its
website at http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov. 14. Will any member of the public be able to use ECF to file documents? Access is available to authorized attorneys. Limited access is also available to other frequent users (e.g. creditors; taxing
authorities). 15. What if I discover an error on the docket sheet in PACER? Please e-mail the case number and a description of the error to our quality
assurance team at cob_qa@cob.uscourts.gov.
2. What are the benefits and features of using ECF?
3. Who developed CM/ECF?
4. What hardware/software is needed on the attorney's end to use ECF?
5. What is Adobe Acrobat?
6. How is payment of filing fees handled for ECF cases?
7. How is the requirement of an original signature (attorney and/or debtor) handled for ECF cases?
8. Can an attorney authorize someone in their office (such as a paralegal) to use their login name and password to file documents in ECF?
9. How can I obtain current information and updates regarding the CM/ECF Project?
10. How does an attorney become an authorized CM/ECF user?
11. What ECF training and support is available for attorneys and others in their offices.
12. How does it work?
13. Can the general public view ECF cases and the documents in those cases?
14. Will any member of the public be able to use ECF to file documents?
15. What if I discover an error on the docket sheet in PACER?