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NextGen ECF

Welcome to NextGen CM/ECF

New Jersey District Court to Introduce NextGen CM/ECF on Tuesday, January 21, 2020.

ACTION REQUIRED – CM/ECF Users must follow the instructions below to continue to electronically file on January 21, 2020.

Introduction

On January 21, 2020, the New Jersey District Court will adopt the NextGen CM/ECF system (ECF will be unavailable Sat. Jan. 18 through Mon. Jan. 20). Filers must take steps now in order to continue to file electronically in NJD on or after that date. Until now electronic filers were required to maintain one account for PACER and one for each court’s CM/ECF system where he/she was admitted to practice. NextGen CM/ECF will simplify that process by combining all your CM/ECF and PACER accounts into a single “Central Sign-On” account. You will no longer need a separate CM/ECF account for each NextGen court. Your Central Sign-On account will permit you to both view documents through PACER and to electronically file documents through the CM/ECF systems of the NextGen courts where you have permission to file (District, Bankruptcy and Appellate). Attorneys with permission to electronically file must follow the instructions below. 

Instructions

Two steps are required to prepare for NextGen: One step now; and one step on or after the go-live date.

Step 1 – Before the NextGen Go-Live Date (NOW)

Do not wait until the week of January 21 to perform these steps, we are expecting heavy call volume.

Do you know your current NJD ECF Credentials?

Ensure you know your current NJD ECF Credentials as soon as possible. You will need to link the ECF credentials to your PACER account prior to filing. If you do NOT know your password and if your email address is current in ECF,  use Reset Password otherwise,  email ecfhelp@njd.uscourts.gov.

Did you obtain your individual PACER account before August 11, 2014?

Your individual PACER account must be upgraded before the NextGen go-live date. Go to https://www.pacer.uscourts.gov and click on “Manage My Account”. If your account type is Legacy, click Upgrade and follow the required steps. After the NextGen go-live date (Jan. 21) you must follow step 2 below.

Did you obtain your individual PACER account after August 11, 2014?

No action is required now as your individual PACER account is already upgraded. However, after the NextGen go-live date (Jan. 21) you must follow step 2 below.

Do you share a PACER account or share a FIRM PACER account?

You must obtain your own individual PACER account before the NextGen go-live date. Shared PACER accounts will not work with NextGen. Go to https://www.pacer.uscourts.gov and click on the REGISTER for New Account tab to create a new individual account. On or after the NextGen go-live date (Jan. 21) you must follow step 2 below.

CJA Panel Attorneys

CJA panel attorneysmust (1) have one upgraded individual PACER account before the NextGen go-live date, and (2) add CJA exempt privileges to that account for billing purposes. That one individual PACER account will allow you to toggle back and forth between CJA matters and private practice matters. Follow the instructions in the “CJA Privileges in NextGen” link below. After the NextGen go-live date (Jan. 21) you must follow step 2 below.

Pro Hac Vice Attorneys

In according to Local Civil Rule 101.1, local counsel must file papers, enter appearances for parties, sign stipulations or sign and receive payments on judgments, decrees or orders, for an attorney admitted pro hac vice before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. ATTORNEYS ADMITTED PRO HAC VICE ARE NOT NJD ECF USERS AND DO NOT NEED TO COMPLETE ANY STEPS.

PACER Administrative Accounts ('PAA')

PACER offers a PAA to centralize PACER billing for multiple attorneys in a single firm. To register for a PAA, please visit: https://pacer.uscourts.gov/register-account/group-billing. Attorneys with a PAA account still must have an individual account.

 

Forgot your current CM/ECF account information? Use Reset Password (if your ECF account email is up-to-date) otherwise,  email ecfhelp@njd.uscourts.gov; or call the NJD ECF Help Desk at Camden 856-757-5021, Newark 973-645-3730, or Trenton 609-989-2065.

Forgot your PACER account information?  Click Here.

 

Step 2 –On or After the NextGen Go-Live Date

LINK your CM/ECF account(s) with your upgraded individual PACER account. On or after the NextGen go-live date you must link your CM/ECF and PACER accounts. Linking is a one-time process that can be completed only once the court is live on NextGen CM/ECF. Failure to link your CM/ECF account(s) with your upgraded individual PACER account will prevent you from filing electronically after NextGen goes live.

On or after the NextGen go-live date, link your court issued CM/ECF account and your upgraded PACER account by going to the court’s CM/ECF site and clicking the “Efiling CM/ECF” link. You will be automatically redirected to PACER to complete this process.Link your NJD account at: https://ecf.njd.uscourts.gov.

  • Log in with your individual upgraded PACER user name and password.
  • Click Utilities, then click “Link a CM/ECF account to my PACER account.”
  • Enter your current CM/ECF credentials in the CM/ECF login and CM/ECF password fields. Click “Submit.” Verify that the CM/ECF account and PACER account listed are accurate. If so, click “Submit.”
  • You have successfully linked your account. You will now use only your PACER account to access both PACER and CM/ECF for this court. Press F5 to refresh the screen and view the Civil and Criminal menu items for filing.

Do you practice in multiple Federal Courts?

If you practice in more than one Federal Court you must link each of those CM/ECF accounts with your one upgraded PACER account as each court adopts NextGen over the coming months. See a list of NextGen courts at https://www.pacer.gov/psco/cgi-bin/links.pl.

How will I access PACER and NextGen CM/ECF?

After NextGen goes live you will go to the PACER website and use your Central Sign-On account to view dockets through PACER and also to file electronically in courts using the NextGen CM/ECF system. Not all courts will adopt NextGen at the same time. Until a court does adopt NextGen you will continue to access that court’s legacy CM/ECF system through their local website using the account information issued by that court. See a list of NextGen courts at https://pacer.uscourts.gov/file-case/court-cmecf-lookup.

After NextGen goes live, who do I contact for help with my account?

After NextGen goes live all account maintenance requests will be handled by the PACER service center. You will need your PACER account number when contacting PACER.

On the web at https://www.pacer.uscourts.gov, Email the PACER service center at pacer@psc.uscourts.gov, Call PACER at (800) 676-6856.

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