What is electronic filing?
Electronic filing is the electronic transfer of legal documents to and from the court clerk. It permits attorneys in designated civil cases to file documents with the clerk and also to serve (eServe) them electronically on opposing parties directly from their computers through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider (EFSP).

Electronic filing improves accuracy, promotes uniformity, and provides significant cost savings to attorneys, their clients, and the courts.

Am I required to add a judge to a case when filing in DC Superior Court?
Yes, you must include the judge when eFiling to the DC Superior Court.

What is the timeframe for Civil II? When will we be expected to start using the new system?
Mandatory eFiling will begin on February 5, 2007, at 12:00.01 a.m., in Civil II for all parties represented by counsel in certain designated case types.

From October 23, 2006, at 12:01:01 a.m., until February 4, 2007, at 11:59:00 p.m., represented parties may eFile voluntarily as set forth in the Administrative Order. This will provide a transition period to mandatory eFiling.

At this time, case initiation is not available through eFiling. One must initiate a case in paper form as is currently done. Also, the original Affidavit of Service of Process must be filed in paper form.

Please go to www.dccourts.gov/efiling for the governing Administrative Orders and to stay apprised of the latest developments.

Are there requirements to eFile voluntarily during the transition period?
Yes. Each party represented by counsel in a case must agree to eFiling. If they do, then after registering with www.casefilexpress.com, a "Consent Notice of eFiled Case" should be eFiled. The Notice should list the names of lead counsel for each party and whom they represent, counsel's address, telephone and Bar numbers, as well as, email address. The Notice should also include the names and email addresses of any other counsel who are to be eServed. The case judge must be eServed as well.

The Consent Notice should also include in the Certificate of Service the names of persons to be served, how they are served and if they are pro se, the mailing address. A sample Notice is available on page 10 of the Administrative Order. Please go to www.dccourts.gov/efiling.

How should the case number be formatted?
The correct docket number format is crucial for successfully filing. The format is as follows: YEAR- SPACE- CA-SPACE-SIX DIGIT DOCKET NUMBER-SPACE- EXTENDER. Thus, the first case filed in 2005 in Civil II would read: 2005 CA 000001 B. For the 450th 2000 case that was filed in Civil II, the docket number would be 2000 CA 000450 B. If the case was a medical malpractice case and certified to Civil I from Civil II, it would read: 2005 CA 00001 M; if it was a real property case (formally "RP"), it would read: 2005 CA 00001 R(RP).

Here is a list of the Civil Case Types that can be eFiled, as well as, the docket number format and extender:

• Case number formatting for each case type will display only the first two letters of the case code between the year and the 6 digit docket number;
  
• The third letter will display as an extension i.e. Civil Action Branch cases (CAB) will display: 2005 CA 000123 B
  
• If you do not see your case type, please call CaseFileXpress at 877-433-4533.
  
• If your case is sealed in its entirety, please call CaseFileXpress at 877-433-4533.
  

If a case originated as a Civil I case, (e.g. asbestos cases) use "A" after the docket number. If the case originated in Civil II and was later designated a Civil I case, use "B" after the docket number, unless the case is a malpractice case, in which event, use a letter "M" or a real property case, in which event, use an "R(RP)" after the docket number.

Does CFX validate case numbers as they are entered by the filer?
CFX only validates that the format of the case number is correct. The actual number is validated or rejected during its transmission to the clerk. The correct format for DC Superior Courts is as follows:

2006 CA 123456 A (4-digit year, space, "CA" for civil action (must be capitalized), 6-digit case number, space, 1-digit case extender. (For additional information, see "What is the Case Number Format?")

What is Case Title/Style?
Case title is the title of the document. For example, the title for a divorce document might be: In the Matter of the Marriage of B. Jones and M. Jones.

What is the Client Matter Number?
Client matter number is a number used by firms and agencies to bill their clients and track their cases. You may use your own internal number. It will not impact your eFiling.

How can I correct an eFiling submitted with the wrong document type?
If your profile (user-id) allows the clerk to modify your document type, the court clerk's office can/will correct the document type for you.

To make sure that you are set up to allow the clerk to modify your document type, access your account at
https://www.casefilexpress.com/cfxSystem/login.aspx and enter your CFX user-id and password, click on "Change Profile" and check the box that says, "Allow the Clerk to Modify."

Will I be able to eFile if I am a new member to the bar?
The DC Superior Court updates their database monthly with new bar numbers. Please check with the court clerk to be sure your bar number is in the court's database before you eFile.

How many digits is the bar number for DC?
Your bar number for DC Superior Courts should be 6-digits. If you only have a 5-digit bar number, add a leading zero.

How do I eFile if I am "Pro Hac Vice?
"If you are eFiling Pro Hac Vice into a case, register with "999999" as your bar number.

How do I retrieve a judge's order?
Judge's orders are retrieved the same way as a document served electronically. (See "How do I retrieve a copy of electronic service documents?")

Does CaseFileXpress provide online document access?
Yes. You may access any document filed by you or your delegate.

The document will remain in your CFX inbox for up to one year and you can access it as many times as you want at no additional cost. Your eService documents will be available on the CFX system, in your eService Inbox for one year from the time you receive service.

Will I be able to access the court's docket?
The Joint Committee on Judicial Administration is in the process of developing a policy on remote public access to the Superior Court's docket and documents. The Superior Court adopted a public access policy for Civil Division cases and a related rule regarding protection of private information. See Sup. Ct. Civ. R 5(f)(1). at www.dccourts.gov/dccourts/docs/Order_2006-06-13.pdf. In the meantime, the Court is testing a web-based public access program. The Court anticipates making civil dockets available over the web in early 2007. Until then, dockets and documents of public cases can be viewed at the Superior Court Civil Clerk's office through public access terminals or you may download them to your case management system from CFX.

Do I need to scan/convert documents prior to eFiling?
The rules require that eFiled documents be sent to the clerk in .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader) format. Documents, attachments, and exhibits that are uploaded through CaseFileXpress are automatically converted to .pdf files before being sent to the clerk. We can convert most commonly used document formats, such as Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, JPEG, TIF, RTF, TXT, and HTML to .pdf.

However, if your document is only available in a hard copy format, you will need to scan and/or convert it to .pdf prior to filing. The minimum resolution for scanned documents is 200 DPI (dots per inch).

The Adobe Reader Software is available for download free of charge at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Is it necessary to combine my lead document with my supporting documents?
There are two fields in which to upload documents on Step 6 of the "Submit a Filing" process: the 'Lead Document' field and the 'Attachment' field. If your eFiling is less than 20 pages, then prior to uploading, you may combine your lead document with your attachments and submit your filing as one document. If your filing exceeds 20 pages, then proceed with the following steps:

Can I use CFX to file into the Federal Court System?
No, CFX provides electronic filing services for state courts, not federal courts. Federal courts typically utilize the PACER system for electronic filing.

Can I eFile in criminal cases?
No, currently you may only submit subsequent filings in Civil I and certain Civil II cases electronically.

What is the maximum file size for eFiling documents?
The maximum filing size is 30 megabytes (MB). If your filing (total size of all documents combined) is larger than 30MB, you will need to separate your filing into 30MB or smaller segments and submit multiple filings.

For instance, if you have a Motion for Summary Judgment with 20 attachments, the motion and five exhibits may equal 30MB and your remaining 15 exhibits may equal another 20MB. Submit the motion and 5 exhibits as a filing and submit a “Notice” or “Praecipe Filed” (as your lead document) and the remaining 15 exhibits in a second filing.

Be sure to notify the clerk through the "Special Instructions" box on Step 6 of the CFX system that you are filing multiple times but they are to be considered one filing. That way if different clerks process your filing they will know to docket them as one filing. In addition, be sure to only upload the Motion with the first filing. For all related subsequent filings, select a “Notice” or “Praecipe Filed” as the document type (which has no court fee), then upload a “Notice” or “Praecipe Filed” (as your lead document) explaining that you are filing multiple times, but they should all be docketed as one filing.

To help you determine the size of your filing, on Step 6 of the upload page, CFX provides a counter which calculates the file size for you as you upload your documents, exhibits and attachments.

In addition, to determine the size of your document right click on your document, select properties, and the software will display its file size.

Who will receive eFiling notifications?
The filing attorney and the delegate who files on his/her behalf will receive an Acknowledgement email when the document is received by the clerk, and either a Confirmation email when the document is accepted by the clerk or an Alert email when the filing is rejected by the clerk.