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July 25, 2018 | All Manage Your Practice Topics, All Technology Topics

E-Filing Resources for Florida Lawyers

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E-Filing is a way to electronically transmit legal documents from an attorney or even a self-represented litigant to a court. Legal documents can also go from the court to the attorney or from one attorney to another.

INTRODUCTION TO E-FILING

How to E-File – An Overview

The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal system links all of the 20 judicial circuit courts, the 5 District Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court – all through one single, integrated Portal website. The Federal Courts use CM/ECF (Case Management/Electronic Case File).

If you’re an attorney practicing in Florida, to register at the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, you’ll need your Florida Bar number, at least one email address and your local address. When you register you’ll choose a login name and password.  When you are approved you’ll receive an activation link in your email. Attorneys from other jurisdictions, court reporters, mental health professionals, mediators and self-represented litigants may also register. Click here for CM/ECF registration procedures.

Once you have an active account you can add a new case or add to an existing case. You login, find the appropriate court, and if it’s an existing case find that case. You’ll be able to retrieve case information. In brief, you choose the parties you are filing for and choose the type of document you are filing and then attach it to the filing. There are excellent training videos here.

Click here to download our e-Filing Checklist

E-FILING SYSTEMS BY COURT

Florida Supreme Court  Florida ePortal
Florida Circuit Courts  Florida ePortal
County Courts  Florida ePortal
Florida 1st District Court of Appeal  Florida ePortal
Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal  Florida ePortal
Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal  Florida ePortal
Florida 4th District Court of Appeal  Florida ePortal
Florida 5th District Court of Appeal  Florida ePortal
Florida 6th District Court of Appeal Florida ePortal
U.S. Court of Appeals Eleventh Circuit CM/ECF
Federal Bankruptcy Courts CM/ECF
Federal District Courts  CM/ECF

Online Dockets

County/Circuit

Access online dockets via the county clerk websites. Click here to find a clerk.

District Courts of Appeal

The Florida Appellate Courts docket information is refreshed once daily starting at 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except that the Fourth DCA’s information is refreshed twice daily at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the Fifth DCA’s information is refreshed twice daily at 10 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. Click here to access the Florida District Courts of Appeal Online Docket.

Florida Supreme Court

The Florida Supreme Court docket information is refreshed every fifteen minutes. All non-confidential briefs, petitions, referee reports, and dispositional orders filed on or after February 1, 2015, are now viewable via their corresponding online docket entry. Click here to access the Florida Supreme Court Online Docket.

TRAINING AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Creating PDF Documents for Filing on the E-Filing Portal
This is an overview on how to create PDF documents to be filed with the E-Filing Portal. Additionally, the E-Filing Portal has prepared a PDF/A FAQs document as well as a PDF/A Document Conversion training video.

Creating Bookmarks Within Adobe Acrobat
Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.220 requires that all appendices be bookmarked. Adobe Acrobat includes a function for bookmarking PDF documents. Here is the guidance information provided by the Florida District Courts of Appeal:

Training Videos and Other Materials
Includes an extensive list of e-Filing videos, attorney e-Filing Instructional videos and other How-Tos

Portal Filer User Manual
The E-Filing Manual includes an introduction, training resources, detailed information on how to register as a new e-filer, how to manage your user account, how to electronically file court case documents, generate reports, make payments and much more.

Frequently Asked Questions
Includes answers to frequently asked questions on how to register for an account, where to find training, payment of fees, what kind of documents the Portal supports and much more.

E-Filing Support
The Florida Bar cannot assist you with your filing or troubleshoot your portal issues. To request e-filing support, please email support@myflcourtaccess.com or call (850) 577-4609 and leave a message.

Procertas Tech Assessment & Training
Procertas LLC, a Florida Bar Member Benefit, offers a web-based Legal Technology Assessment (LTA) that trains on and evaluates legal professionals’ skills with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF technology AND the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. Currently, the e-Filing module in the LTA is eligible for one hour of technology CLE credit.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

VIEWS AND CONCLUSIONS EXPRESSED IN ARTICLES HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF FLORIDA BAR STAFF, OFFICIALS, OR BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FLORIDA BAR.