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For Attorneys

Welcome to the official website for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Here are a few tips to help you find the information you need and to minimize receiving notices of electronic filing errors from the Clerk's Office:

Familiarize yourself with the Local Rules and ECF Procedures. Additionally, consult the Court's website before calling the Clerk's Office with questions. The website has a word-search function to make accessing information faster. The website also has the most recent version of Court forms. Using these forms, and adhering to the instructions on the forms, may eliminate the need for the Clerk's Office to issue a notice of electronic filing error.

Keep all your contact information up to date. Attorneys are responsible for keeping their contact information up to date. Changes should be made via the "Manage My Account" tool in PACER.

When filing complaints and other case-initiating documents, be certain to attach the most current versions of our Civil Cover Sheet and Summons. Filing incorrect versions of these documents can delay the case-opening process. The correct version of the Civil Cover Sheet (JS44) is dated 3/16 and can be found here. Summons are issued electronically. 

Before calling the ECF Help Line to ask about the appropriate docketing event to use when electronically filing a document, try using the "Search" feature on the CM/ECF menu bar. Becoming acquainted with this feature will lead to more accurate entry of docketing events and will reduce the number of notices of electronic filing error received.

Check and double check all sealed and redacted filings prior to submitting them. Any document publicly filed which was intended to be redacted or sealed will be publicly available for at least a short amount of time prior to the Clerk's Office being able to correct the filing. In addition, please clearly mark all documents as UNDER SEAL, REDACTED, or similar.

If you cannot find the answer to your question on the website or in the available reference materials, or if you have made an error in electronic filing, do not hesitate to contact the Clerk's Office.

Clerk's Office (Main): (202) 354-3080
ECF Help Line (Civil): (202) 354-3190
ECF Help Line (Criminal): (202) 354-3060
Attorney Admissions: (202) 354-3110