Here's an article from Law.com that talks about the new requirement in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that attorneys use the e-filing system, and submit everything except the initial pleadings in PDF format.
Under the amended rules, all attorneys practicing before the district court will have to submit their filings on disk in portable document format in addition to submitting paper copies. Attorneys must also complete a form authorizing an electronic signature code to replace their written signatures on the filings.
But it also seems that attorneys are dragging their feet a bit --
Only 1,300 lawyers, or 4 percent of attorneys listed in the district court's attorney database, have filed documents directly through ECF since May, said Michael E. Kunz, clerk of court for the Eastern District. He said he expects that number to increase as his office trains more attorneys and legal support staff how to use the ECF system and as law firms adopt the PDF technology.
If any readers are currently practicing in the Eastern District, I'd be very interested in hearing about your experiences with the system, and ideas about how your firm is adapting to the new rules.
Note: the link on the ECF page that says "About PDF" is actually a 56 page PDF file entitled "ECF System Attorney User's Manual."
--Dave
Man, that is a pain. I think maybe they should have chosen something a bit less cumbersome. I guess it is a bit more universal than other platforms they could have used.
Posted by: Katie | October 11, 2003 at 10:20 AM
On second thought it is a great change. Most lawyers are late adoptors. I used to work for a firm that didn't have windows until 1996. Can you imagine? They were still using text-only word processing, no WYSIWYG. The new requirements for e-filing will make it so that firms have to keep up with technology. This will make things easier for everyone.
Posted by: Katie | October 11, 2003 at 10:51 AM