U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Electronic Case Filing System
(ECF)
ATTORNEY USER MANUAL
FOR CIVIL CASES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Getting Started............................................................................................................................1-2
Introduction..........................................................................................................................1
Requirements....................................................................................................................1-2
Registering for Access to ECF.............................................................................................2
Preparation..................................................................................................................................2-4
Setting up Adobe Acrobat....................................................................................................2
Portable Document Format(PDF).....................................................................................3-4
Basics............................................................................................................................................4-8
User Interactions..................................................................................................................4
Conventions used in this Manual.........................................................................................5
Incorrectly Filed Documents................................................................................................5
Submissions of Stipulations and Proposed Orders..............................................................5
Service of Documents by Electronic Means and Certificate of Service...........................5-6
Mailing Labels and E-Mail Addresses..............................................................................6-7
Notification of Case Activity...............................................................................................8
Viewing Transaction Log.....................................................................................................8
Attorney User’s Manual.......................................................................................................8
Entering the ECF System.........................................................................................................9-11
Entering the ECF System.....................................................................................................9
Logging In.....................................................................................................................10-11
Selecting ECF Features......................................................................................................11
Civil Events Feature...............................................................................................................12-24
General Rules and Manipulations......................................................................................12
Manipulating the Screens.......................................................................................12
Correcting a Mistake..............................................................................................12
Signatures...............................................................................................................12
Filing a Civil Complaint....................................................................................................12
Filing Document for Civil Cases.......................................................................................13
1. Select the type of Civil Event that is being filed..........................................14-15
2. Locate the Case for which the pleading is being filed.......................................15
3. Select the Parties for whom the document is being filed...................................16
4. Link the Party and Attorney...............................................................................16
5. Entering Information for the docket sheet.........................................................16
6. Attach PDF file to document........................................................................17-18
7. Adding Attachments to documents being filed..................................................19
8. Modifying the Docket text............................................................................20-21
9. Submit the pleading to ECF...............................................................................21
10. Notice of Electronic Filing.........................................................................22-23
Filing Other Types of Documents......................................................................................23
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania i Attorney User’s Manual
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(CONTINUED)
Query Feature.........................................................................................................................24-26
Reports Feature......................................................................................................................27-28
Utilities Feature.......................................................................................................................29-30
View Your Transaction Log.........................................................................................29-30
Miscellaneous....................................................................................................................30
Logging Out.................................................................................................................................30
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania ii Attorney User’s Manual
Electronic Case Filing System
Attorney User’s Manual
GETTING STARTED
Introduction
This manual provides instructions for using the Electronic Case Filing (ECF) system to file
documents with the Clerk of Court, or to view and retrieve docket sheets and documents for all
cases assigned to the system. User’s should have a working knowledge of an ECF-compatible
web browser and Adobe Acrobat for creating and reading Portable Document Files (PDF).
Help Desk
Call the Court’s Information Desk @ 1-866-ECF-4ECF between the hours of
8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday for technical questions or assistance
using ECF.
ECF Systems Capabilities
Registered users with an ECF-compatible Web browser and access to the World Wide
Web can use the District Court’s ECF system to perform the following functions:
• Open the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Court’s web page.
• View or download the most recent version of the ECF User’s Manual.
• Self-train on a training system comparable to the official “live” system.
• Practice entering pleadings into ECF using a “training”
system and database.
• Electronically file pleadings and documents in actual cases.
• View official docket sheets and documents associated with cases.
• View various report for cases that were filed electronically. (e.g. Docket
Sheet Report, Calendar Event Report, etc.)
Requirements
Hardware and Software Requirements
The hardware needed to electronically file, view and retrieve case documents are the
following:
• A personal computer running a standard operating system such as Microsoft
Windows or Macintosh with a 17" Monitor.
• An internet service provider and Web browser. The installed version of ECF is
tested and works correctly with Internet Explorer versions 7 & 8 and/or Firefox
version 3.5.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -1- Attorney User’s Manual
• Adobe Acrobat software to convert documents from a word processing format to
portable document format (pdf).
* Note: Each .pdf document cannot exceed 50 MB
PACER Registration
ECF users must have a PACER account with the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in
order to use the Query and Report features of the ECF system. If you do not have a
PACER login, contact the PACER Service Center to establish an account. You may call
the PACER Service Center toll free @ 1-800-676-6856 for information or to register for
an account. You may also register for PACER online by visiting their web site
http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov.
Registering for Access to ECF
Attorneys who require access to the electronic case filing (ECF) system must contact the District
Court to obtain a registration form. Attorneys may also obtain a copy of the registration form on
our website. After processing the properly completed registration form, the Clerk’s Office will
open a User Account and contact you by e-mail with your ECF system login and password.
* Note: The Clerk’s Office issues a different set of logins and passwords for the “training”
and “live” ECF systems.
PREPARATION
Setting Up Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader
Users must install Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader in order to view documents that have been
electronically filed with the Clerk’s Office. Users may need to install the full version of
Adobe’s Acrobat Software to convert electronic files from their native application format to
Portable Document Format (PDF). All new documents prepared for ECF cases must be converted
to PDF before entering them into ECF. After installing these products review and follow Adobe’s
direction for using Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. The latest Adobe Reader software is available free
of charge by downloading it from Adobe’s website http://www.adobe.com.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -2- Attorney User’s Manual
Portable Document Format (PDF)
Only documents in PDF format may be electronically filed on the ECF system. Be sure to view
the PDF formatted document before filing it with the Clerk’s Office to ensure that it appears in
its entirety and in the proper format.
Viewing a PDF Document
• Open Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
• Select File on the menu bar and choose Open from the drop-down menu.
• Click on the location and file name of the PDF document you wish to view.
• Acrobat loads the file and displays it on your screen. Verify it is the document
you wish to send.
• If the displayed document is larger than the screen or contains more than one
page, use the scroll bars and buttons to move about within the document.
• Click on the View menu to select other options for viewing the document.
Choose the option that best suits your viewing needs.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -3- Attorney User’s Manual
BASICS
User Interactions
Users normally interact with the Electronic Case Filing (ECF) system in three ways.
• Entering information in data fields
• Mouse-clicking on hyperlinks
• Selecting command buttons to direct system activities.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -4- Attorney User’s Manual
Conventions used in this Manual:
• User data entry is shown enclosed in angle brackets: <data entry>.
• Hyperlinks are displayed in underlined boldface type.
• Command buttons appear in [bracketed boldface type].
Incorrectly Filed Documents
A document incorrectly filed in a case may result from: a) posting the wrong PDF file to a docket
entry; b) selecting the wrong document type from the menu; or c) entering the wrong case
number and not discovering the error before completing the transaction.
If a document has been filed in error contact the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s information
desk to request a correction as soon as the error is discovered. Be sure to include the case
number and document number for which the correction is being requested. Improper filings will
be terminated in the CM/ECF system upon receipt of a praecipe to withdraw. The ECF system
will not permit you to make changes to the document(s) or docket entry filed in error once the
transaction has been submitted.
Submissions of Stipulations and Proposed Orders
An ECF Filing User who electronically submits a stipulation or proposed order is bound by all
signature requirements set forth in Local Civil Rule 5.1.2, Section 9. Pursuant to Local Rule 7.1
proposed orders should be submitted with the electronic filing as well as e-mailed to
[email protected].
Service of Documents by Electronic Means and Certificate of Service
When an ECF Filing User electronically files a pleading or other document using the ECF system,
a Notice of Electronic Case Filing shall automatically be generated by the system, and shall be
sent automatically to all parties entitled to service under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and
the Local Rules of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania who have consented to electronic service.
Electronic service of the Notice of Electronic Case Filing constitutes service of the filed document
to all such parties and shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of Rule 5(b)(2)(D) of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
All documents filed using the ECF system shall contain a Certificate of Service stating that the
document has been filed electronically and is available for viewing and downloading from the
ECF system. The Certificate of Service must identify the manner in which service on each party
was accomplished, including any party who has not consented to electronic service. Parties who
have not consented to electronic service are entitled to receive a paper copy of any electronically
filed pleading or other document. Service of such paper copy must be made according to the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local Rules of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -5- Attorney User’s Manual
Mailing Labels and E-mail Addresses
An ECF Filing User can obtain which parties have consented to electronic service and which
parties have not consented to electronic service.
< Click on the Utilities option on the Blue ECF menu bar. See figure below.
< ECF opens the Utilities menu. Click on the Mailings... hyperlink. See figure
below.
< ECF opens the Mailings screen. Click on the Mailing Info for a Case hyperlink.
See figure below
< ECF opens the Mailing Information for a Case screen which will prompt you to
enter the Case Number to view the recipient list. Enter the appropriate case
number in the field next to Case Number. See figure on the next page.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -6- Attorney User’s Manual
< After entering the appropriate case number click on the [Submit] button. See
figure above.
< ECF opens the Mailing Information for a Case screen which will display the
attorneys and e-mail addresses who are currently on the list to receive e-mail
notices for this case and will also list the names and mailing addresses of
attorneys who are not on the list to receive e-mail notices for this case. See
figure below.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -7- Attorney User’s Manual
Notification of Case Activity
An ECF Registered filing user has the option to add up to (3) additional e-mail addresses to their
ECF account. This will enable the additional e-mail accounts to be notified with the notice of
electronic filing when activity on the registered filers case occurs. The attorney who is
registering for electronic filing will have to supply their e-mail address on the registration form.
Any additional e-mail accounts must be submitted on the Notification of Case Activity Form.
Viewing Transaction Log
This feature, selected from the Utilities menu, will allow you to review all transactions ECF has
processed with your login and password. ECF filing users agree to protect the security of their
passwords and immediately notify the Clerk of Court by telephone, with said notification
confirmed immediately thereafter in writing delivered by e-mail, facsimile or hand-delivery to the
attention of the Clerk of Court, if they learn that their password has been compromised.
Attorney User’s Manual
You can view or download the most recent version of the ECF Attorney User’s Manual (in PDF
format) from the District Court’s web page. Enter http://www.paed.uscourts.gov in your
browser’s location field, when the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s web page opens, click on
the Electronic Case Filing hyperlink.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -8- Attorney User’s Manual
ENTERING THE ECF SYSTEM
This section of the User’s Manual provides instructions for entering the Electronic Case Filing
(ECF) system. You may enter the system by going to the web page for the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ecf.paed.uscourts.gov. Click on the LIVE ECF Login link to
open the login screen. See figure below.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -9- Attorney User’s Manual
LOGGING IN
Enter your ECF login and user password in the appropriate data entry fields. It is important to remember
that all ECF login names and passwords are case sensitive.
* Note: Use your ECF login and password if you are entering the system to file a pleading or to
maintain your account. If you only wish to enter ECF to query the database for case
information or to view a document, enter your PACER login and password.
Verify that you have entered your ECF login and password correctly. If an error has been made, click on
the [Clear] button to erase the login and password entries and re-enter the correct information. After you
enter the correct login and password information, click on the [Login] button to transmit your user
information to the ECF system.
• If the ECF system does not recognize your login and password, it will display the
following error message on a new screen. (Login failed either your login name or key
is incorrect.)
• Click on the browser [Back] button and re-enter your correct login and password.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -10- Attorney User’s Manual
• After ECF accepts your login and password, your monitor will display the Main ECF
screen with a Blue functional selection menu bar at the top.
*Note: The date and time you last logged into the system appears at the bottom left corner of this
screen. You should review this information each time you login. If you believe the date and
time of your last login are not correct, or you suspect an unauthorized party is using your login
and password, telephone the Court’s Information Desk @ 1-866-ECF-4ECF with this
information as soon as possible.
Selecting ECF Features
ECF provides the following features that are accessible from the Blue menu bar at the top of the
opening screen.
Civil - Selecting Civil to electronically file all civil case pleadings,
motions, and other documents.
Criminal - Selecting Criminal to electronically file all criminal case pleadings,
motions, and other documents.
Query - Query ECF by specific case number or party name to retrieve
information and documents that are relevant to the case. You must
login to PACER before you can query ECF.
Reports - Choose Reports to retrieve docket sheets, cases-filed reports,
calendar events. You must login to PACER before you can view
an ECF report.
Utilities - View your personal ECF transaction log in the Utilities area of ECF.
Search- This Provides the opportunity to search for the appropriate document you are
looking to file in the ECF system.
Logout - Provides the means to gracefully exit from ECF
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -11- Attorney User’s Manual
CIVIL EVENTS FEATURE
Registered filers will use the Civil Events feature of ECF to electronically self-file and docket with the
Clerk’s Office a variety of pleadings, motions, and other documents for civil cases. See the list of ECF
documents at the back of this manual. This section of the manual describes the basic steps that you need
to take in order to file a single Motion with the court. The process is consistent regardless of the event.
General Rules and Manipulations
Manipulating the Screens
Each event screen has two buttons associated with data entry:
• Use the [Clear] button to remove all characters entered in this screen.
• Use the [Next] button or [Submit] button to accept entered data and display the
next data-entry screen.
Correcting a mistake
Use the [Back] button on the Internet Explorer toolbar to retrieve the previous screen to
correct date entry errors. Only the Clerk’s Office can make changes or corrections to
documents that have already been submitted to the court.
Signatures
Document requiring signatures of more than one party must be electronically filed either
by (1) submitting a scanned document containing all necessary signatures; (2)
representing the consent of the other parties on the document; (3) identifying on the
document the parties whose signatures are required and by the submission of a notice of
endorsement by the other parties no later than 3 business days after filing, or (4) in any
other manner approved by the Court.
Filing a Civil Complaint
For information on filing a civil complaint, see the Guide to Opening a Civil Case and
Filing a Civil Complaint in CM/ECF.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -12- Attorney User’s Manual
Filing Documents for Civil Cases
There are eight basic steps for filing a pleading in ECF.
1. Select the type of Civil Event to file (e.g. specific motion, injunction, etc.)
2. Type in the case for which the pleading is being filed.
3. Select the parties for whom the pleading is being filed.
4. Attach the PDF document to file.
5. Add attachments, if any, to the document being filed.
6. Modifying docket text.
7. Submit the pleading to ECF.
8. Notice of Electronic Filing.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -13- Attorney User’s Manual
1. Select the type of Civil Event that is being filed.
• Select Civil from the Blue menu bar at the top of the ECF screen. See Figure above.
The Civil Event window opens displaying all of the events from which you may choose
for your filing. See Figure below. This section of the User’s Manual describes the
process for filing a Motion in ECF. The process is similar for filing other pleadings in
ECF.
• Click on Motions under Motions and Related Filings. See figure below.
The Motions screen appears and displays a motion selection field with a scroll bar next to it.
See Figure below. Scroll through the menu until you find the type of motion or application you
wish to file. For demonstration purposes, highlight Dismiss and click on the [Next] button.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -14- Attorney User’s Manual
*Note: To select more than one motion, press and hold down the Ctrl key, and click on each
of the desired multiple reliefs.
2. Locate the Case for which the pleading is being filed.
A new Motions screen opens with a case number field. Enter the number of the case for which
you are filing a motion and click on [Find This Case] button or press the Enter key on the
keyboard. ECF will then search for the case number that was entered and change the format of
the Case Number. You will then be able to click the [Next] button. See Figure below.
* Note: ECF defaults to the last case number from which you worked. Ensure the proper case
number is entered in this field to avoid filing your pleading to the wrong case.
• If you submit a case number that is formatted incorrectly, ECF will prompt an error
message advising you of the correct format for entering the case number.
• Click [OK] to acknowledge and close the error message. Click the [Clear] button on the
Motions screen and re-enter the case number in the correct format.
• Click on the [Next] button.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -15- Attorney User’s Manual
3. Select the Parties for whom the document is being filed.
ECF opens a screen with a list of parties in the case you selected. See figure above.
Highlight the name of the party or parties for whom you are filing the motion if you represent all
defendants or all plaintiffs you may select the entire group by holding down the Ctrl key while
pointing and clicking on each party of the group.
Click on the [Next] button.
4. Link the Party and Attorney.
ECF opens a screen which will allow you to link the party and attorney. You must not uncheck
the box.
If you uncheck this box, you will not receive notifications. See figure below.
5. Entering information for the docket sheet.
ECF opens a screen which will allow you to enter information which will be displayed on the
docket sheet. After entering the information click the [Next] button. See figure below.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania 16 Attorney User’s Manual
6. Attach the PDF document to file.
ECF accepts the party or parties you selected and opens a new Motions screen which will allow
you to attach the PDF file to the document. See figure below.
*Note: It is imperative that you attach an electronic copy of the actual pleading when prompted
by the system. All documents that you intend to file in ECF MUST be in PDF format
and each file cannot exceed 50 MB. If you do not attach a PDF document ECF will not
accept the document and will not allow you to continue filing your pleading.
accept the document and will not allow you to continue
• Click on the [Browse] button. As shown above.
• Change Files of type from:
to:
• Navigate to the appropriate directory and file name to select the PDF document you wish to file.
• Highlight the file to upload to ECF. See the figure on the next page.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania 17 Attorney User’s Manual
* Note: In order to verify that you have selected the correct document right click on the
mouse button on the highlighted file menu to open a quick menu and left click on the
mouse on Open. Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat reader will launch and open the PDF
document that you have selected. You should view the document to verify that it is
the correct document.
*Note: Ensure that the highlighted file name appears in the File name field as shown in the
above figure. It is suggested that you choose a name for the document file that
indicates the case number and title of the pleading.
• Click on the [Open] button from the screen shown above. ECF closes the File Upload screen
and inserts the PDF file name and location in the Motions screen shown below.
• If there are no attachments to the motion, click on the [Next] button.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania 18 Attorney User’s Manual
7. Adding Attachments to documents being filed.
If you acknowledge the need to attach documents to your motion you will have the ability to do
that on the same screen see figure below.
• Click on the lower [Browse] button to search for the document file name of the attachment.
• Next to the Type field, click on the down arrow and ECF opens a drop down menu of acceptable
choices. Highlight the type of attachment from the display selection. If you do not see an
appropriate category you have the option to give the attachment a description.
• To describe the attachment in more detail, click in the Description box and type the description
of the attachment. (e.g. Exhibit- A, Appendix-I, etc.) See figure above.
• Repeat the previous steps for each additional attachment.
• After adding all of the desired PDF documents as attachments, click on the [Next] button.
19
8. Modifying Docket Text
• Click on the down button to open a pick list of acceptable choices. Select the correct
type of motion you are filing. See figure above.
• Click on the field next to the motion and relief which will allow you to type additional
text for the description of the pleading that you wish to appear on the docket sheet. See
figure on the next page.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -20- Attorney User’s Manual
9. Submit the pleading to ECF.
• Click on the [Next] button.
• A new Motions window appears with the complete text for the docket sheet and an
Attention!!! message informing you that by clicking on the [Next] button you will have
no further opportunity to modify this entry. See figure below.
• Review the docket text to ensure there are no errors. If you need to modify the data click on the
[Back] button on the Netscape toolbar to find the screen you wish to alter. See figure below.
• Click on the [Next] button to file and docket the pleading.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -21- Attorney User’s Manual
10. Notice of Electronic Filing.
ECF opens a new Motions screen which displays an ECF filing receipt. See figure below.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -22- Attorney User’s Manual
• The screen on the previous page provides confirmation that ECF has registered your transaction
and the pleading is now an official court document. It also displays the date and time of your
transaction and the document number that was assigned to your pleading. You should note this
number on the documents PDF file.
• Click on the [Print] button on the Internet explorer toolbar to print Notice of Electronic Filing.
See figure below.
• Select file from the menu bar, and choose Save frame as from the pick list to save the receipt to a
file on the hard drive of your computer.
*Note: It is recommended that you copy the notice of electronic filing to a file on your computer hard
drive or on a disk for further access. It is also recommended that you print the notice and
retain a hard copy in your personal files.
• When a ECF Filing User electronically files a pleading or other document using the ECF system,
a Notice of Electronic Case Filing is automatically generated by the system, and is sent
automatically to all parties entitled to service under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the
Local Rules of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania who have consented to electronic service.
Electronic service of the Notice of Electronic Case Filing constitutes service of the filed
document to all such parties and shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of Rule 5(b)(2)(D)
of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
All documents filed using the ECF system shall contain a Certificate of Service stating that the
document has been filed electronically and is available for viewing and downloading from the
ECF system. The Certificate of Service must identify the manner in which service on each party
was accomplished, including any party who has not consented to electronic service.
Parties who have not consented to electronic service are entitled to receive a paper copy of any
electronically filed pleading or other document. Service of such paper copy must be made
according to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local Rules of the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania.
Email notification of documents that were filed.
Individuals who receive electronic notification of a filing are permitted “one free look” at the
document by clicking on the associated hyperlink document number on the Notice of Electronic
Filing. It is recommended that the recipient save and/or copy the document to their hard drive
for future access. Subsequent retrieval of the docket sheet and pleading from CM/ECF must be
made through your PACER account and is subject to regular PACER fees.
FILING OTHER TYPES OF DOCUMENTS
Registered users who wish to file a document other than a motion should make the appropriate selection
from the Civil Events menu. The process for other filings is very similar to what has been described in
this manual for filing a motion.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -23- Attorney User’s Manual
QUERY FEATURE
Registered participants should use this feature to query the Electronic Case Filing (ECF) system for a
specific case information. To enter the Query mode, click on Query from the Blue ECF menu bar. See
figure below.
ECF opens the PACER Login screen. You must enter your PACER login and password before ECF
permits you to query the ECF database. See figure below.
* Note: Your PACER login and password are different from your ECF login and password. You must
have a PACER account in order to retrieve, view and print certain documents.
ECF opens a query data entry screen as shown in the figure below.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -24- Attorney User’s Manual
If you know the number that has been assigned to the case, enter it in the Case Number field and click
on the [Run Query] button. Also, you may query the ECF database by the name of the party or an
attorney to the case. Enter the last name of the party in the last name field as shown in the figure on the
previous page.
If the individual is a party to more than one case, ECF will open a screen listing all of the party names or
attorney names. Click on the hyperlink of the appropriate person you wish to run a query for. See figure
below.
After selecting the person or case number you wish to query, ECF opens a Query window which will list
all of the cases the party you selected is involved in. Click on the hyperlink for the appropriate case you
wish to query. See figure below.
At the top of the Query window, ECF displays the case number, parties to the case, presiding Judge,
Date filed, and Date of last filing for the case. You may choose specific case information from the list
of Query options by clicking on the appropriate hyperlink on the screen shown on the next page.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -25- Attorney User’s Manual
You may click on the appropriate hyperlink you wish to Query for the specific party and/or case number.
ECF will open an information screen for the hyperlink you selected. The process to Query each
selection is very similar. Continue to follow the steps outlined above.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -26- Attorney User’s Manual
REPORTS FEATURE
The Reports feature of ECF provides the user with several report options. After selecting the Reports
feature from the Blue ECF menu bar, ECF opens the Reports screen displaying hyperlinks as shown on
the figure below.
ECF opens the PACER Login screen. You must enter your PACER login and password before ECF
permits you to query the ECF database. See figure below.
* Note: Your PACER login and password are different from your ECF login and password. You must
have a PACER account in order to retrieve, view and print certain documents.
If you click on the Docket Sheet hyperlink and ECF will open a Docket Sheet report query window
shown in the figure below.
This is the same
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -27- Attorney User’s Manual
query window that ECF displayed when you selected Docket Report from the Query feature. Enter the
case number for your docket sheet in the Case Number field. Enter the remainder of the information in
the data entry fields (optional) and click on the [Run Report] button. ECF will display a full docket
sheet for the case you selected. If you do not need a complete docket sheet, you can narrow the query
using the date fields. ECF also offers various sorting options from the Docket Sheet query screen.
The process to run a report for each selection is very similar. Continue to follow the steps outlined in
this section of the manual.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -28- Attorney User’s Manual
UTILITIES FEATURE
The Utilities feature provides the means for registered users to maintain their ECF account and to view
all of their ECF transactions. This section of ECF provides you the capability to maintain certain aspects
of your ECF account with the Court. The figure below displays the screen for the ECF Utilities feature.
View Your Transaction Log
From the Utilities feature of the Blue ECF menu bar, click on the View Your Transaction Log
hyperlink. ECF opens a screen with two fields to Enter the Date Selection Criteria for the
Transaction Log Report. Enter the date range you wish to query and click on the [Submit]
button. See Figure below.
ECF displays a report of all your transactions in ECF within the date range you specify for Date
Selection Criteria. See figure on the next page for a sample Transaction Log Report.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -29- Attorney User’s Manual
Use this feature of ECF to review your transactions and to verify that:
• all of the transactions you enter are reflected in the Transaction Log.
• no unauthorized individuals have entered transactions into ECF using your login name
and password.
Miscellaneous
ECF provides three Miscellaneous functions within Utilities feature of the system.
• Legal Research
• Mailings
• Verify a Document
When you click on the Legal Research hyperlink from the Miscellaneous menu, ECF opens a
new screen that contains hyperlinks to a Law Dictionary, a Medical Dictionary and Westlaw via
the Internet.
When you click on the Mailings hyperlink a new screen opens for making or requesting mailings
from ECF.
When you click on the Verify a Document hyperlink a new screen opens which will prompt you
to enter a case number and to Specify the number of the docket entry containing the document to
be verified. Click on the [Next] button to verify that the document exists.
LOGGING OUT
Click on Logout from the Blue ECF menu bar. ECF will log you out of this system and return you to the
ECF Login screen.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania Page -30- Attorney User’s Manual
