A link to the First Judicial District of PA's (FJD) E-Filing System will be available on the FJD web-site at http://courts.phila.gov under the menu tab labeled "On-Line Services." At the login screen you may apply for a Username by clicking on the appropriate link.

Any individual, pro se or attorney, with an e-mail address may apply for a username, password and pin. Usernames will be unique to each individual. Firms will not be able to sign up for a blanket account. Each individual attorney must sign up and receive a username, password and pin. If an individual has received a username, password and pin when registered for the Orphans Court Division's section of the E-filing System, they need not re-register. The username used for the Orphans section, will be valid for the Civil section of the E-filing System.

Only those individuals, pro se or attorney, registered with the E-filing System with a username, may access the E-filing System. If administrative assistants employed by a law firm wish to access the E-filing System to view and/or file documents on behalf of an attorney, they must utilize the attorney's username who is or will be a party to the action. Only one individual at a time may be signed on to the system under a particular username. However, multiple email addresses may be provided at sign up to accommodate requests for administrative assistants to receive confirmation of acceptance and/or rejection of filings.

Docket Reports will be available to all individuals, registered or not with the E-filing System, as it always has. The only difference will be that the dockets will be updated in real time. However, E-filed documents will only be available to those who are a party to the subject case and who have a registered username with the E-filing System. All filed documents will be available to all individuals, party to action or not, as always in the Office of the Prothonotary in City Hall by utilizing public access terminals.

Pa. R.C.P. No. 205.4 addresses this possible issue. Specifically, section (e) explains in detail the responsibility of the filing party as well as the Court.

Yes. Whether a case was commenced through the E-filing System or not, all filings may be submitted through the use of the E-filing System. During a short period of time, a case may have a partial electronic file as well as a partial paper file.

The goal of the Court is to make every filing type available through the E-filing System. All manners of commencement of civil actions will be available. All pre-trial and post-trial motions will be available as well as most of all subsequent pleadings for the initial roll-out. The Court is also making every effort to allow submissions of letters and requests to attach documents to previous filings. The E-filing site will clearly indicate multiple filing categories with many different filing types in every case type or Court program.

Again, the Court's intention is to make all filing submissions available through the E-filing System, but certain submissions will not be part of the initial phase. These two specifically will most likely not be part of the E-filing System initially.

Writs of Execution will be able to be submitted through the E-filing System. The Prothonotary will place a unique electronic seal on each approved writ. It will be the filer's responsibility to deliver all approved writs to the Sheriff's office for service. The Court will not forward any approved writs to the Sheriff's office.

The E-filing System will support multiple attorneys entering their appearance through submitting one e-filed document. For example, if several attorneys want to enter their appearance through submitting one document at one time, the system will allow the identification of each entering attorney and the Court will ensure that all attorneys are appropriately added to the Court's docket.

Filings may be submitted on any day at any time. If a filing is submitted on a business day after normal business hours, 8:00 p.m. on a Thursday night for example, the submission is considered submitted on Thursday's date even though it was submitted after the close of the business hours. The Court will only review and accept filings during normal business hours (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), but filings may be submitted 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

A submitted filing will be deemed filed the same date it is submitted, regardless of what time of day, with proper payment provided that the filing is in compliance with the rules of civil procedure. Furthermore, filers will have the option of submitting a filing without payment at the time of submission provided that payment is made at the courthouse within five (5) business days of submission. If this "pay at the courthouse" option is selected, the filing will be marked "filed" on the date payment is received provided that the filing is in compliance with the rules of civil procedure. If for some limited reasons the filing is rejected after clerk review, the filing will be marked "filed" on the date when re-submitted correctly.

The computation of time rules are unaffected by the implementation of the E-filing System. If a filing deadline date is a weekend or official holiday, the deadline is extended through the next business day.

Almost instantaneously all filers will receive an email confirming the Court has received the submitted filing. The Court will review all filings within the next business day after the receipt of the filing. However, the Court will only review those submitted filings where the appropriate fee, if applicable, has been paid. After clerk review, almost immediately after acceptance or rejection of the filing, the filer will receive an email confirming the same. If filings are submitted with the appropriate fee and the Court does not respond within the time standards, a help line will be available during normal business hours.

All documents associated with a submitted filing must be uploaded at the time of submission. All documents uploaded must be in Portable Document Format (PDF) and cannot be larger than 3 megabytes. No documents may be submitted on disk or via facsimile

Yes. Any one file uploaded for submission must not exceed 3 megabytes in size. A filer may attach as many files as needed as long as not one exceeds the size limit. The Court has no requirement as to what is contained in each file. If a filer wishes to submit one file with pleading and exhibits contained in it, the Court will accept the filing as long as the file does not exceed the size limit. If any file exceeds the size limit, it must be split before uploading will be permitted.

When a filing is submitted that requires a payment of a fee, the E-filing System will prompt the filer to choose one of three payment options. The first and most encouraged option is to submit filing fee by credit card payment. This option preserves the submission date as the filing date if the filing is deemed accepted by the Court. The second option is to elect to pay at the courthouse. If this option is selected, the electronic submission will not be reviewed by the Court's clerks until payment is received at the courthouse. Once at the courthouse, all payment types that were always accepted will remain acceptable (i.e. credit card, cash, money order etc.). Finally, a party who is without financial resources to pay the costs of litigation, may seek In Forma Pauperis status through the E-filing System.

No. This payment option will not be available to anyone who wishes to submit filings through the E-filing System. All payment of fees must be tendered at the time of or after the filing has been submitted. However, if a firm wishes to pay at the courthouse for multiple filings with one check, that option will be available.

In order to ensure security and privacy for all filers, the Court will not store any credit card information anywhere throughout the E-filing process. However, unique identifying information may be passed from the Court through a merchant bank to the filer's credit card billing statement. The Court's hope is that this feature will help with accounting tasks.

All pre-trial and post-trial motions and petitions will be able to be submitted through the E-filing System. Control numbers and response dates will be issued electronically by the system and immediately provided to the filer and all other parties to the action registered with the E-filing System via e-mail upon acceptance of the filing.

During the initial phase of the E-filing process, orders will be sent via regular mail, but will be scanned into the case management system for immediate viewing through the use of the Court's web-site.

Discovery Hearing Requests will be submitted through the E-filing System. No longer will the form for the hearing request need to be faxed or hand delivered to the courthouse. The Discovery Hearing Request will be reviewed by the clerk when the appropriate fee is paid. The discovery hearing will be scheduled and notice of the scheduled hearing will be electronically mailed to all parties to the case that are registered with the E-filing system. The discovery motion must be attached as a document at the time of submission of the Discovery Hearing Request Form.

The Discovery motion must be attached as a document at the time of submission of the Discovery Hearing Request through the E-filing web-site. Additionally, a hard copy of the discovery motion must be brought to the hearing. During the initial phase of the E-filing process, all subsequent responses to Discovery motions will be presented to the Court at the time of the hearing and the Court will scan the document into the case management system's docket,.

Pa. R.C.P. No. 205.4 has been adopted and, specifically sections (g)(1) and (2) of the rule deal with service of both original process and all other legal papers. Generally speaking, service of original process has not changed. Electronic notification of all other legal papers may be achieved through the E-filing System.

The note found under Pa. R.C.P. No. 205.4(g)(1) and (2) specifically deals with this issue. Generally speaking, electronic notification of the filing of legal papers other than original process can only be achieved by the E-filing System on those who are registered with the system.

During the initial phase of the E-filing process, orders will be sent by via regular mail, but will be scanned into the case management system for immediate viewing through the use of the Court's web-site.

As provided in Pa. R.C.P. No. 205.4, anyone, represented or unrepresented, may receive electronic notification of filings of legal papers other than original process.

The Court will have the capability to electronically stamp all documents. These electronic stamps aesthetically look almost exactly as they always have. For example, if a complaint is submitted electronically and subsequently accepted by the Court, an electronic "Attest" stamp will be affixed to the document. That stamped document will then be available to the filer, as well as all parties to the action that are registered with the E-filing System, by logging into the E-filing system and viewing, downloading and printing same.

Yes. The "Arbitration Hearing Date Notification" stamp will be affixed on the electronically filed document as well as returned as text as part of a confirmation e-mail from the Court after acceptance. The look will be very similar and will contain all pertinent information.

An electronic seal that both the Court and the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office have approved as acceptable is in development. This seal will be unique to each submitted and approved writ and affixed directly on the electronically filed document.

Pa. R.C.P. No. 205.4 explains in detail the signature requirements for electronically filed documents. Generally speaking, the electronically filed document constitutes the original. A certification by the filing party that a hard copy of the legal paper was properly signed and, where applicable, verified is required.

Pa. R.C.P. No. 205.4 explains that the filing party shall maintain the signed hard copy of the document filed for two years after certain actions that may occur. Please refer to section (a)(4) of the rule for details.

The Court has instituted a characteristic of the E-filing System that will allow for the sealing from the public electronically filed documents.

The Court encourages input and questions from all users and prospective users. The Court's official web-site, http://courts.phila.gov, will have accessible features for feedback. A constantly monitored support e-mail account has also been established for questions, concerns and suggestions. E-mails can be sent to cefs@courts.phila.gov for support.

Initially, paper case files will be created by the Court and forwarded to the appropriate jurisdiction. Whether an appeal or an order to transfer is in effect, the Court will be responsible for transferring all filed documents, electronic or not, in paper form to the appropriate location.