1. How do I register for an ECF account?
The registration form is also located in the ECF User’s Guide. When the form is completed, return your attorney registration form to the appropriate address.Once your attorney registration form has been processed you will be issued a login and password.

*Note: In order to query cases/dockets using ECF/PACER, you must obtain a pacer account.  Refer to the Pacer Service Center for more information or call them at (800) 676-6856 or (210) 301-6440

Please refer to the ECF User's Guide for a more details.  

2. I need help with ECF, who do I contact?
There is online support from the court's website and via the ECF mailing list. To leave a message for the help desk, email support@nyed.uscourts.gov . The email should be as specific as possible and must include.

Your name
Telephone number where you can be reached during the day
Your return email address
A detailed description of the ECF question

3. Is there special software I need on my computer to use ECF?
Successful participation in the ECF project requires:
*A TCP/IP connection to the Internet
*Abobe Acrobat(for converting documents to a PDF format
*Netscape 4.7x or higher or Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher
*AOL Users( please use Netscape)

4. I have a Macintosh Computer, can I still participate in ECF?
Yes

5. My email address has changed, do I need to notify the court so it can be updated.
Yes, Please send an email to support@nyed.uscourts.gov with the new email address and the attorney account information.

6. Who do I contact if I have a question about a case or software?
For questions regarding ECF hardware and software requirements, contact
ECF Help Desk at (718) 613-2290

For questions regarding the addition of a case to the ECF database, or regarding the electronic filing of documents, or to schedule ECF training, contact:
Terry Vaughn - (718) 613-2331 OR Cinthia Mahon - (631) 712-6011

All other ECF inquiries can be directed to ECF support at support@nyed.uscourts.gov

7. I forgot my ecf login id and password, who do I contact?
Send email to support@nyed.uscourts.gov, use the email address that was setup in your account. Also, include your name and telephone number where you can be reached during the day.

8. Which Judges are currently participating in ECF?
Chief Judge Raymond J. Dearie and Judges Frederic Block, Edward R. Korman, Nicholas G. Garaufis, I. Leo Glasser, John Gleeson, Sterling Johnson, David G. Trager and Jack B. Weinstein; and, for all civil actions filed in Central Islip that are assigned to Judges Denis R. Hurley, Joanna Seybert and Leonard D. Wexler.

9. What are the benefits and features of using CM/ECF?
There are a number of significant benefits and features:

Full case information, including the docket and the filed documents are readily available to judges, chambers staff, and clerk's office  personnel simultaneously without having to retrieve case records from the file room. These court users can also access this information from locations other than the courthouse, via the Internet.

At the court's option, registered attorneys can file and retrieve court documents 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

Attorneys, parties and the general public are able to view case records using the Internet. This includes the ability to view the full text of all filed documents (subject to any limitations the court might impose).

Attorneys can receive notices electronically in ECF cases; this eliminates the costs to both the court and attorneys of handling and mailing paper notices, and greatly speeds delivery.

Since CM/ECF uses Internet standard software, the out of pocket cost of participation for attorneys is typically very low.

10. How do I query CM/ECF cases? Do I need to register for an user account?
No, all you need is a Pacer account. Please refer to the Pacer Service Center for more information or call them at (800) 676-6856 or (210) 301-6440

11. I received an email notification that does not provide a hyperlink to the document number. Is this an error?
No, the document(pdf) was not filed electronically.

12. Are there any special settings for file sizes in Adobe Exchange 6.0?
Yes, please read the below recommendations.

PREPARING THE DOCUMENT:

1. Reminder: do not use the PDF Creator that is a part of the Corel Suite.
2. Set Adobe PDF Writer as the default printer BEFORE opening the document.
3. Before printing, perform a "File --> Save As" and save the document as a normal document. This cleans the document and gets rid of any embedded code that might be lingering due to editing, but that is not visible in the actual document.
4. Minimize the number of different fonts used in the document. We suggest you set the default font to Courier (NOT Courier New or Times New Roman or any other TrueType font). So far, tests have shown that using True Type fonts drastically increases the size of the document. Set the default font by going to "File --> Document --> Default Font."
5. The CM/ECF Project Team recommends a 200x200 dpi resolution. A higher resolution appears to dramatically increase the file size. Because Adobe Acrobat is often used for publishing, some of the standard settings have a 1200x1200 resolution.
6. When you print the document, click on the "Details" tab in the "Print" window, change the "Resolution"
to "200x200," then un-check the following check boxes (if they were checked when you entered the window): "Print in color" and "Print text only." Note: this hint does not apply to WordPerfect 10 users who do not have the "Details" tab. Don't worry, our initial tests have shown that WordPerfect 10 creates MUCH smaller PDF files than WordPerfect 9.

IN ADOBE ACROBAT 6:

1. To do the following from Adobe Acrobat 6.0, go into:  Advanced --> Acrobat Distiller
2. From Acrobat Distiller, set the following: Default Settings: Smallest File Size
3. Changing the compatibility to Acrobat versions 4.0, 5.0, or 6.0 had no effect on the size of the saved
file.  In order to ensure the document is viewable in Acrobat 4.0, set the compatibility to Acrobat 4.0 (PDF 1.3). To change the compatibility, set the following from Acrobat Distiller: Settings --> Edit Adobe PDF Settings --> General --> Compatibility --> Acrobat 4.0 (PDF 1.3) [select this]
4. Embedding fonts is recommended so the PDF document is the same or very similar to the original WordPerfect document. Indications from our preliminary tests with the Courier font are that embedding fonts does not affect file size; however, the jury is still out on this. To enable font embedding, set the following from within Acrobat Distiller: Settings --> Edit Adobe PDF Settings --> Fonts --> Embed all fonts (check the check box).

13. Where do I obtain a copy of a document on a criminal case?
Documents on criminal cases are not available online, you must contact the court to obtain a paper copy of the document. For more information on this, please refer to http://www.uscourts.gov/judconf/marc02proc.pdf.

14. If I have an ECF filing account in the SDNY, will it work in the EDNY?
No, you must register in each ecf court.