NJ. Bankruptcy Lawyer Explains How Pacer Works
“PACER” is the Public Access to Court Electronic Records, that allows someone to access documents that were filed with the federal courts, which include the bankruptcy courts in NJ.
Anyone can use the system and you need not be attorney to gain access to their website. The registration is free. However, there is a cost of .10 per page for each document that is downloaded and/or viewed. Therefore, if a document is 15 pages long, the total cost to review the document is $1.50. Typically, Pacer will not charge more than $3.00 to view any one document, event though the amount of pages is in excess of 30. Pacer will charge a quarterly fee of $15.00, unless the total amount of one’s quarterly charges are less than $15.00. Consequently, if a person’s charges are more than $15.00 for the quarter, that account will be charged an additional $15.00 for such usage.
Documents filed with the court may not be retrieved from a general internet search. Any person seeking specific bankruptcy documents that have been filed with the court must obtain the documents through PACER. An example of the documents that may be found on PACER are as follows: entire bankruptcy petitions; motions filed with the court; documents filed by the trustee; discharge orders; any other orders entered in the case; and, proofs of claim filed by creditors.
Attorneys that file a large number of cases, are required to maintain a pacer account and a CM/ECF account with the federal courts. The CM/ECF is the Case Management / Electronic Case Files, which is a system that allows attorney’s to electronically file documents with the court. Bankruptcy attorneys that file a substantial number of cases, typically file bankruptcy petitions directly through their bankruptcy software, that automatically accesses the bankruptcy court’s website and files the petition.
The bankruptcy Pacer and CM/ECF systems automatically email any and all documents filed within an attorney’s case directly to the debtor’s attorney’s email, immediately after any document is filed within the case. There is no fee for the attorney to open the emailed document and save it on a computer. However, any time an attorney accesses PACER directly to open a file, he is charged the typical PACER fee. Also, any other attorney that is retained to represent any other entity or individual involved in a case, will be emailed all documents, the same as the debtors’ attorneys. However, the other attorneys must also maintain an account and Enter Their Appearance with the court, if they have not yet filed a document with the court.
Contact bankruptcy lawyer Robert Manchel, at 866 503 5644, to discuss your bankruptcy questions.