Ronald N. Boyce Federal Court Litigation Practice Seminar
Salt Lake City, Utah
October 27, 2006
David Nuffer
U.S. Magistrate Judge
How E Filers Can Make Chambers Happy
A Look at the Chambers Work E-environment
Multiple Monitors 1
Summary NEF 4
Motions Report 5
Download PDF files 6
Annotation, Searching, Copy and Paste 7
Links to case law 11
What Attorneys Can Do to Make Chambers Work Easier 12
Link! – and use PDF conversion that preserves links 13
- to motions
- to cases, statutes and rules
- include a Table of Contents
- to filed documents (in the future)
Always File a Text PDF!
A Text PDF is smaller, searchable, copyable, and supports links.
A Scanned (Image PDF) is large and lifeless.
Seek Relief! 14
Pick all the right forms of relief.
Ask for expedited relief.
Identify Exhibits! 16
Submit proposed orders in word processing format! 17
Questions and Answers
Blue text in this document is a hyperlink. Download it at http://www.utd.uscourts.gov/judges/nuffer_resources.htm
A Look at the Chambers Work E-environment
Multiple Monitors or Large Monitors
Fundamental to the ability to work effectively in the electronic world is an electronic desktop. In
the paper world, we work on a large desk to be able to work with many items at once. In the
electronic world, a large virtual desktop enables us to work simultaneously with many electronic
sources of information while we do our work, which may include electronic composition,
analysis and communication.
Word Perfect document Adobe Acrobat document (from CM/ECF)
Multiple monitors or large monitors allow view of many source documents (Westlaw, Lexis,
PACER, CM/ECF, PDF files) while composing other documents (Word or WordPerfect or
CM/ECF). Multiple documents from the same application may be viewed side-by-side.
Copying and pasting between screens or windows is possible because all monitors are connected
to the same computer. (If using multiple monitors, it is best to use identical displays.)
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a large display, showing two windows two monitors side by side, rotated
Operating systems since Windows 98 permit creation of
a large "virtual display" which spans several physical
monitors, if the computer has a video display hardware
which can drive two monitors.
The capability to have two displays is built into most
laptop computers (control panel at right).
The dual display features are regulated in the Display
Properties control panel, Settings Tab.
Microsoft help pages describe how to use multiple displays:
Turn_on dual monitor support
How to Enable Multiple Display Support Using Windows 98
HOW TO: Set Up and Troubleshoot Multiple Monitors in Windows 2000 (This article includes
information on installing multiple display adapters.)
HOW TO: Configure and Use Multiple Monitors in Windows XP
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In many desktop computers, it is possible to use two standard display adapters to drive dual
monitors to create a large integrated desktop.
Hardware Requirements for Multiple Display Support in Windows 98
Hardware Requirements for Multiple-Display Support in Windows XP
Many manufacturers supply single slot display adapters with two heads (cable connections)
which support two monitors on each card. More than one can be used in one computer to drive
more than two displays.
NVIDIA ATI (use keyword "dual display" to search products) Matrox
Many display adapters are able to use special software which
permits rotation of displays. A rotated flat panel allows the user
to "page through" documents and see an entire page at a time on
the virtual desktop. The user's experience with electronic
documents then resembles use of paper on a physical desktop.
NVIDIA software ATI software
Dell Laptops with the ATI Mobility Radeon X300 video card have
the ability to rotate an external monitor or, if you have a docking
station, two monitors may be rotated. Instructions
http://www.utd.uscourts.gov/documents/Dual_monitors.html
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Summary NEF
Many chambers receive a summary Notice of Electronic Filing. It is generated in the early
morning hours and includes a summary notice of all filings from the prior day.
Implications:
Chambers may not know about a filing until the next morning.
Chambers may not know more than you include in your docket text.
Only the types of relief you request will show on the docket text and title.
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The Motions Report
The motions report is a key action tool for chambers. All documents related to a motion show on
the report, with docket text and hyperlinks.
Implications:
If you don’t file a document as a motion, neither it nor related documents will show on a
motion report.
If you don’t link a document to a motion, the document will not show on a motion report.
If you don’t select multiple forms of relief when filing, the court may not be aware of
your requested relief and there is a barrier to granting relief because there is no
motion to grant or deny for that specific relief.
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Downloading documents from CM/ECF
Right click the
mouse on the
document
number
Name convention: [Docket No.] [Description] [(Related Motion Dkt. No.)]
Example: 101 Memorandum in Support (100)
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Annotating PDF Documents
Acrobat Standard and Pro have tools to permit Highlighting, Underlining, and Strikethrough.
PDF documents can be marked up as easily as paper documents.
This lower screen shot shows color, which is user selected.
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While reviewing documents, text boxes can hold margin notes.
This is a text box
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Searching PDF Documents
Acrobat has two powerful search tools.
FIND takes you to each successive instance of a word.
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SEARCH shows a listing of all instances of a word in the document.
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Hyperlinks
Include hyperlinks to authorities cited in your memoranda by using WestCiteLink or
LexLink, part of LexisNexis Citation Tools 2003. See a sample document with hyperlinks.
Another sample. Another sample with a table of contents. Sample document with Lexis links.
Click on a link in the sample documents or on blue text below in this sample to see how
hyperlinks make it easy to find cases, statutes and rules.
The tool to create research hyperlinks for Microsoft Word or WordPerfect is free. The person
viewing the document incurs Westlaw or Lexis charges. The court has Westlaw and Lexis
access. An April 2006 survey of judges' chambers indicates both are used, but Westlaw use is
predominant.
Watch a video presentation about hyperlinks to cited authorities. (requires Flash player).
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What Attorneys Can Do to Make Chambers Work Easier
Link! – and use PDF conversion that preserves links
- to cases, statutes and rules – use research hyperlinks
- to motions – when filing link your document to any related motions
Select every motion
to which your new
document relates.
Links show in the docket – and ensure the document is on the motion report
- in your Table of Contents – use a table of contents and make it link
- to filed documents (in the future) – future CM/ECF versions will let you link to
docketed documents
Always File a Text PDF! Video on PDF Types
A Text PDF is smaller, searchable, copyable, and supports links.
A Scanned (Image PDF) is large and lifeless.
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Use PDF Conversion to Preserve Links
When you have prepared a document with hyperlinks to research services or with a Table of
Contents, make sure the document is converted to PDF format in a way that preserves the
hyperlinks. The hyperlinks are present in the word processing document, but not converted into
PDF format when the document is prepared for filing. This may result from using a PDF
converter that cannot convert hyperlinks or from improper settings on a PDF converter. The filed
document contains blue text and underlines that signal links, but there are no operative links.
In Microsoft Word, the PDF printer will
not convert hyperlinks.
Instead, use the special Adobe PDF menu or toolbar buttons to convert Word documents to PDF
with hyperlinks.
In WordPerfect, the Publish to PDF settings must be set to convert hyperlinks and bookmarks.
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Seek Relief!
Pick all the right forms of relief.
Find the right form(s) of relief by using the Attorney Menu Items Report:
Select the Civil events or
Criminal events report.
Use the FIND command to find the event you want. The menu headings are in blue.
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Select multiple forms of relief by CONTROL-CLICKing.
If you want it, be sure to ask for expedited relief. This selection makes sure a motion shows up
on the motions reports and that the “expedited” concern shows on the Summary NEF.
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Identify Exhibits!
When including attachments,
Only use the Use DESCRIPTION -
CATEGORY if it descriptions may go up
is truly appropriate to 255 characters!
Good DESCRIPTIONS make documents accessible
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Submit proposed orders in word processing format!
Submit the proposed order via email in word processing format. Not PDF format.
Send the proposed order to the correct judge. Read the Administrative Procedures.
Put at least the case number and case name in the e-mail subject line.
Attach the proposed order to the motion in PDF format.
Administrative Procedures II. G.
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