Requirements and Benefits

The electronic filing system is simple and easy to use. Hardware and software requirements are minimal and inexpensive.

Technical requirements:

1. a personal computer (PC clone / Apple Macintosh) with a modem supporting at least a transfer rate of 28.8k (56k or higher is recommended)
2. an Internet connection
3. Netscape Navigator 4.08 or higher or Internet Explorer
4. Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or higher
5. Acrobat Writer or other PDF writing software for creating PDF documents
6. a scanner for imaging documents which do not exist in electronic format (exhibits, etc.)

Other Requirements:

1. Attorneys must be admitted to practice in the Western District of Michigan.
2. Attorneys must register in advance before filing electronically to obtain a Login and Password that serve as the attorney's signature for purposes of Fed. R. Civ. P. 11 for documents that are filed electronically.

Benefits of Filing Electronically:

1. 24 hour access to file or view documents
2. immediate creation of docket entries
3. immediate access to updated docket sheets and to the documents themselves
4. potential elimination of paper files that can be misplaced, lost, or unavailable
5. potential savings in copying, courier and noticing costs