TrueFiling. Law Firm User Guide ImageSoft, Inc.

Transcription

1 TrueFiling Law Firm User Guide ImageSoft, Inc.

2 Copyright 2013 ImageSoft, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of ImageSoft, Inc. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. If ImageSoft, Inc. and you have entered into a nondisclosure agreement, then this document or accompanying materials provided by ImageSoft, Inc. contains certain information which is confidential information of ImageSoft, Inc. and which may be used or copied only according to the terms of such nondisclosure agreement. All data, names, and formats used in this document s examples are fictitious unless noted otherwise ImageSoft, Inc i

3 Table of Contents Introduction to TrueFiling... 1 What is TrueFiling?... 1 Obtaining a TrueFiling Logon Account... 2 Accepting an Invitation to Join a TrueFiling Firm... 6 Logging on to TrueFiling... 8 Resetting Your Password... 8 CAPTCHA Expired CAPTCHA Invalid Wrong Blocked by Spam Filters TrueFiling Navigation Favorites Adding Cases to Your Favorites Adding Courts to Your Favorites Viewing Favorites Contacting the Court Searching for and Viewing Cases Searching for Cases Filtering by Case Date Filing Documents Overview Understanding Bundles and Filings Primary Documents and Attachments Supported File Types Filing Documents Creating a New Filing Adding Attachments to an Existing Filing ImageSoft, Inc ii

4 Understanding Filing Fees Submitting a Filing Deleting a Filing Viewing a Filing Status Related Documents Official Filing Copy Payment Receipts Generated Proof of Service Notifications Setting Preferences Understanding Notification Messages me when a filing is Rejected me when a filing is Accepted, pending payment me when a filing is Rejected due to payment issues me when a filing is Paid me when the court sends comments on a filing me when the court sends system messages for a filing Electronic Document Service Auto Servicing Service Recipients Adding a Case Contact as a Service Recipient Adding a Service Recipient not Associated with the Case Removing Service Recipients Service History Settings Managing Contacts Add New Contacts ImageSoft, Inc iii

5 Add Existing Contacts Managing Attorneys Add New Attorneys Add Existing Attorneys Appendix Appendix: Glossary of Terms ImageSoft, Inc iv

6 Introduction to TrueFiling Introduction to TrueFiling What is TrueFiling? TrueFiling is a web-based e-filing and e-service solution for law firms and pro per filers. TrueFiling provides an easy to use web interface for filers to file documents electronically from an Internet connected computer instead of filing paper copies at the clerk s office. The TrueFiling system also allows the court to electronically approve, route and take action on filings such as signing proposed orders or summons. TrueFiling provides a completely paperless solution from filing submission to electronic case file management at the clerk s office and all of the processes in between. The following illustrates a typical filing process using TrueFiling: 1. The filer, an attorney, paralegal staff member or self-represented person, prepares one or more documents to file to the court using a word processor, such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat 2. Using a five-step wizard in TrueFiling, the filer uploads each document as a filing choosing the appropriate servicing and filing document type 3. The filer chooses a payment method and submits a bundle containing one or more filings to the court for a clerk to review 4. For each filing marked for e-servicing in the submitted bundle, the servicing recipients will be ed a notification contacting a link to the filing and a Proof of Service will be automatically generated and submitted to the court 5. The clerk will review the incoming filings and generated Proof of Services and will reject or tentatively accept each filing based on court rules a. If the clerk tentatively accepts the filing, the credit card supplied at submission will be charged the appropriate statutory and any convenience fees b. If the clerk rejects the filing or payment was declined, the filer will be notified through the TrueFiling user interface and optionally ed a reject notification c. If payment was approved, the clerk will electronically stamp the filing and update the register of action for the case accordingly 6. The filer will be notified through the TrueFiling user interface and optionally ed a filed notification First-time users or firms follow a simple registration process, providing contact information, address and a secure password. A new user can click on the New User link on the login page and follow the online instructions. The TrueFiling Administration Guide document contains further information relative to setting up a law firm ImageSoft, Inc 1

7 Introduction to TrueFiling Obtaining a TrueFiling Logon Account TrueFiling provides the ability for each member of the law firm to share access to case information, filings and payment information. One or more TrueFiling administrators are established for the firm and are responsible for maintaining the TrueFiling site for the law firm. The TrueFiling Administration Guide document contains further information relative to setting up a law firm. Other members of the law firm should contact their TrueFiling administrator to be invited to join the TrueFiling site. Only the TrueFiling administrator for a firm can invite other users to join. To determine if your firm already has a TrueFiling site and a TrueFiling administrator, perform the following steps: 1. Using any modern Internet browser, navigate to The Login page will appear. 2. Click Sign Up found in the upper right corner of the page. The Sign Up page will appear listing various options on how to create an account for TrueFiling ImageSoft, Inc 2

8 Introduction to TrueFiling NOTE: Please read all three options carefully before making a choice. Only choose Option 2 if you are certain nobody from your firm has ever signed up for TrueFiling. 3. Option 3: Not Sure provides instructions for a user that is not sure whether their firm is enrolled already. 4. Click the click here link found in the highlighted image above to open the Firm Lookup page ImageSoft, Inc 3

9 Introduction to TrueFiling 5. From the Firm Lookup page, enter your address in Username and the characters shown in the CAPTCHA image. 6. Click Lookup. The Search Firm Confirmation page will appear. 7. You will receive an with a link to the search results within ten minutes. The following is a sample message showing the link to the search firm results page ImageSoft, Inc 4

10 Introduction to TrueFiling NOTE: Based on your provider, the may have ended up in your spam or junk folder. Check your spam filtering rules and verify the is on your whitelist. 8. Click the link found in the . The Firm Lookup Results page will appear. 9. Look for the appropriate firm in the results based on Firm Name and Admin. Click Administrator. TrueFiling will send an to the administrator requesting access on your behalf. The Search Confirmation page will appear ImageSoft, Inc 5

11 Introduction to TrueFiling NOTE: In the steps above, TrueFiling only sends an to the selected administrator for your firm. The TrueFiling administrator for your firm needs to invite you using the Invite Logon User feature in TrueFiling before you can join or login. Accepting an Invitation to Join a TrueFiling Firm TrueFiling requires all invited users to confirm the invitation request by clicking a link sent via . When a TrueFiling administrator invites a user to join the firm, an is automatically sent by TrueFiling containing a confirmation link and a temporary password. To complete the TrueFiling registration process: 1. First contact your TrueFiling administrator and ask to be invited to the firm. Only a TrueFiling administrator can invite you to join a TrueFiling firm. The invite will be sent in an message. NOTE: Based on your provider, the may have ended up in your spam or junk folder. Check your spam filtering rules and verify the truefilingadmin@truefiling.com is on your whitelist. 2. Check your for an invitation message similar to the following ImageSoft, Inc 6

12 Introduction to TrueFiling 3. Click the Click this link to complete the registration process link. The Registration Confirmation page will appear in your default browser. 4. Verify Username is your address and enter the generated password provided in the invitation in Password. 5. Click Accept ImageSoft, Inc 7

13 Introduction to TrueFiling NOTE: If the TrueFiling administrator resends an invitation, any prior confirmation links will be invalidated. Specifically, every re-invitation request will generate a new temporary password. Logging on to TrueFiling As with many web-based applications, TrueFiling requires all users to log on using a user name and password. Your TrueFiling user name is the address used during the registration process. To log onto TrueFiling: 1. Using any modern Internet browser, navigate to The Login page will appear. 2. Enter your address you used during registration as your Username. 3. Enter your password for Password. 4. Click Logon. TIP: TrueFiling passwords are case sensitive. Therefore, uppercase A is not the same as lowercase a. Resetting Your Password TrueFiling provides three methods for resetting your password ImageSoft, Inc 8

14 Introduction to TrueFiling Contacting your TrueFiling administrator to reset the password from the TrueFiling administration section Requesting a TrueFiling password change from the logon page Using the Change Password feature from the Settings page To request a password change from the logon page: 1. Click the reset password link. 2. The Reset Password page will appear. 3. From the Request Password page, enter your address in Username and the characters shown in the CAPTCHA image. 4. Click Reset. The Reset Password Confirmation page will appear ImageSoft, Inc 9

15 Introduction to TrueFiling NOTE: As the message above states, you will receive an within ten minutes with your newly changed password. The following shows a sample message for a password rest. Your password will be different than the one listed below. TIP: When copying and pasting your password from an , make sure you are not selecting any spaces after the password. If you do not see the confirmation page above or if you did not receive an , you may have one of the following issues ImageSoft, Inc 10

16 Introduction to TrueFiling CAPTCHA Expired You will get a CAPTCHA Expired message if you took too long to enter your address and/or the CAPTCHA. For security purposes, the CAPTCHA has a short timespan for use. Click New Captcha and try again. CAPTCHA Invalid You will get this message if you mistyped the CAPTCHA. CAPTCHAs are used to prevent misuse of the reset password by hackers. Therefore, most CAPTCHAs are hard to read. Click New CAPTCHA and try again ImageSoft, Inc 11

17 Introduction to TrueFiling Wrong Verify the you used during your registration process is the same as the one you used to reset your password. If you are sure the address is the same one used at registration and you have waited more than ten minutes, contact TrueFiling support at Blocked by Spam Filters Based on your provider, the password change may have ended up in your spam or junk folder. Check your spam filtering rules and verify the is on your whitelist. TrueFiling Navigation The main navigation for TrueFiling can be found on the left side of the page and is consistent throughout the site. This consistency allows you to access to rapidly switch from one section to another regardless of the current page. The default page is initially set to the Court Case Search page but can be changed by accessing the My Settings link. Figure 1 - Court Case Search TIP: TrueFiling is best viewed using a minimum of 1024x768 as the screen resolution The following table describes the navigation sections and pages ImageSoft, Inc 12

18 Introduction to TrueFiling Section Page Description Main Pages efile The efile page provides a starting place for creating a new filing for a case. My Recent Activity Case Search History Favorites The My Recent Activity page contains your recent activity, such as filing submissions, adding of service recipients and other activities. The Case Search page allows you to select a court, search for an existing case using the Case Number, Case Description, and/or search by Case Date. The History page lists the filings for your entire firm grouped by the current status; in progress, submitted, filed and rejected. The Favorites page contains the cases designated as your favorites as well as the courts you are associated with. Settings Contacts & Attorneys The Contacts & Attorneys page contains a list of contacts and attorneys available for serving documents for a case. Login Users My Settings Accounts The Login Users page allows system administrators to manage individuals who have login access to your firm. The My Settings option allows you to change your password, default page, and select notifications. The Accounts option provides credit card information for payment of filings and fees. Resources Admin Guide The Admin Guide link provides you with access to a TrueFiling Admin Guide. User Guide FAQ The User Guide link provides you with access to a TrueFiling User Guide. The FAQ page provides you with access to TrueFiling s Frequently Asked Questions ImageSoft, Inc 13

19 Introduction to TrueFiling Section Page Description About The About page contains information regarding the TrueFiling application. Training Online Video The Online Video page provides access to a demonstration of the TrueFiling application. Favorites The Favorites page lists all frequently accessed cases and courts. Cases must be manually added to Favorites in order to appear on the Favorites page. Adding Cases to Your Favorites To add cases to your Favorites, perform the following steps: 1. Login to TrueFiling using your address and associated password. 2. Click the Case Search link from the list located along the left side. 3. The Court Case Search page will appear ImageSoft, Inc 14

20 Introduction to TrueFiling 4. Choose a court form the Court drop down list and enter part of the case number or party name in the Case Search text box. NOTE: The Case Search will search against both the case number and the court-assigned case description. The Case Search is quite flexible, and will let you enter a partial case number, a partial party name or full values. For example, entering CH will find all cases with these characters in either the case number or case description. 5. Click the Search button. The top 200 cases that match from most recent to oldest will be displayed. The following shows a sample search result for the search criteria CH. 6. Click the case number link associated with the case you were searching. If the case does not appear in the search result, try refining your search criteria. For example if you were looking for a case with the party name Charles, enter Charles in the Case Search text box and click Search ImageSoft, Inc 15

21 Introduction to TrueFiling 7. Click on the Case Number associated with the case you were searching to open the Case Detail page. You will now see some details about the case. 8. Click on the Add to Favorites link to add this case to the list of favorite cases for your firm. The Case Detail page will refresh and the Add to Favorites link will be replaced with a Remove from Favorites link. 9. The case is now part of your firm favorites. Adding Courts to Your Favorites Only an administrator for your firm can add courts to the list of Favorites. Contact the TrueFiling administrator for your firm to add a new court to the list of favorites. Viewing Favorites To view your firm Favorites, perform the following steps: 1. Click the Favorites link from the list located along the left side ImageSoft, Inc 16

22 Introduction to TrueFiling 2. The Favorites page will appear ImageSoft, Inc 17

23 Contacting the Court TrueFiling provides contact information for each of the courts. Each of the courts will have a section of helpful information, such as hours of operation and contact information. Additionally, the court may provide specific policies and procedures on what to expect when e-filing and e-servicing. To view information regarding firm favorite courts, perform the following steps: 1. Click About from the list located along the left side. 2. The About page will appear. 3. A section listing the contact information will be shown for each of the courts in your firm favorites ImageSoft, Inc 18

24 Searching for and Viewing Cases Searching for and Viewing Cases TrueFiling has a list of every case for each of the courts participating in electronic filing. The case list is updated every day with the previous days newly created cases. The cases in TrueFiling are based on the case types determined by the court. That is, some courts will accept only certain case types such as general civil and not others such as domestic. To determine the valid list of case types supported for a given court contact the clerk s office using the contact information found in the About page. Searching for Cases TrueFiling provides access to cases from multiple courts. Therefore, the first step when searching for a case is to determine the appropriate court. To search for a case in TrueFiling: 1. Select the court from the Court dropdown list found on the Case Search page. 2. After selecting the appropriate court, you must enter some text in the Case Search text box. The text entered in the Case Search can be part of the case number or part of the case description. For instance, if you are looking for case number CK, enter CK in the text box as follows. 3. Click Search. The Search Results will appear ImageSoft, Inc 19

25 Searching for and Viewing Cases 4. Click the case number link to open the Case Detail page. NOTE: You can enter as little information as you need, like to get the same results. 5. Similarly, you could enter just some of the party name like Jessica if the case number is not known. 6. Notice that all cases with Jessica will appear in the results. TIP: For best results, try not to search on too many values. For instance, if you know that Jessica Day is who you are searching for, you may attempt to search for the full name. However, as shown 2013 ImageSoft, Inc 20

26 Searching for and Viewing Cases above, the case description has it as Day, Jessica. Searching for Jessica Day will result in no matches as shown below. Filtering by Case Date The Case Date field can be used to filter the searching to cases that were opened within a specific range of dates. Searching using a date range is optional and not required. However, the case search text is required and must be supplied for every search. To filter a search by date, perform the following steps: 1. From the Case Search page, select your court from the Court field. 2. Enter the Case Number or Case Description in the Case Search field. 3. Select the dates for either the Case opened on or after or Case opened on or before fields. 4. Click Search. The following example shows a filtering for our Jessica search for cases opened after Jan 3, The results no longer have the 2010 case for a Jessica as it was opened prior to Jan 3, Similarly, you can further filter using the case opened on or before date to complete a specific range ImageSoft, Inc 21

27 Searching for and Viewing Cases You can use the filtering to help trim the results for any search where common names are used resulting in many cases returned. TIP: Searching using the least amount of information is usually better than using too much ImageSoft, Inc 22

28 Filing Documents Filing Documents This section defines many of the relevant terms and provides the steps necessary to create a filing and submit it to the court. Every filing must be part of a bundle. Overview Understanding Bundles and Filings A bundle is a logical group of filings that are submitted together. A bundle is analogous to an envelope in the paper world. Bundles allow the filer to submit more than one filing at the same time to the court for review. Again, this is just like in the paper world with envelopes contacting multiple paper filings. In some instances, multiple filings are required to be filed on the same date. For example, you may need to file a motion and a motion brief for the same case on the same date. Bundling allows you to prep them both together, and when they are both complete, you can submit them at the same time. Every filing must be part of a bundle, even if there is only one filing in the bundle. A bundle can only contain filings for the same case. Primary Documents and Attachments Each filing in a bundle has a primary document and it may optionally have one or more attachments. Attachments provide a way for the filer to append additional pages to the filing. TrueFiling will automatically combine the Primary Document with all of the Attachments after submission in order to create a single convenient PDF document for the court. For example, a primary document may be the first page in a five page paper document that was scanned. That is, if the filer used scanning software that creates five individual files, one for each page, the filer could upload the first page as the primary document and the next four pages as attachments. Ultimately, the submitted filing would be one reconstituted file containing all five pages. NOTE: Never use attachments to file a separate primary document such as a Brief, Motion or Notice of Hearing. Improper use of Attachments will cause the entire filing to be rejected. Filing fees are calculated by the filing type selected. Additional fees may vary depending on the filing type and the destination court rules ImageSoft, Inc 23

29 Filing Documents Supported File Types TrueFiling will accept Primary Documents and Attachments in any of the following file formats: Microsoft Word (DOC and DOCX) Adobe PDF (PDF) Plain Text (TXT) Scanned Images (TIFF, JPG and PNG) Filing Documents This section defines the steps required to create a filing. The first step is to search for the case based on the appropriate court. Once the correct case is found, the filer must perform the following checks before creating a new filing. 1. Verify the case is for the correct court and has the party names expected 2. Ensure you can file against this case with the court as a party of record 3. Verify the attorney responsible for your filings against this case is associated with the case as a Case Contact NOTE: Before adding a new filing, you must have an attorney from your firm associated with the case as a Case Contact. Creating a New Filing To create a filing to an existing court case: 1. Click the Case Search link from the list located along the left side. 2. The Court Case Search page will appear ImageSoft, Inc 24

30 Filing Documents 3. Choose a court form the Court drop down list and enter part of the case number or party name in the Case Search text box. NOTE: The Case Search will search against both the case number and the court-assigned case description. The Case Search is quite flexible, and will let you enter a partial case number, a partial party name or full values. For example, entering CH will find all cases with these characters in either the case number or case description. 4. Click the Search button. The top 200 cases that match from most recent to oldest will be displayed. The following shows a sample search result for the search criteria CH. 5. Click the case number link associated with the case you were searching. If the case does not appear in the search result, try refining your search criteria. For example if you were looking for a case with the party name Charles, enter Charles in the Case Search text box and click Search ImageSoft, Inc 25

31 Filing Documents 6. Click on the Case Number associated with the case you were searching to open the Case Detail page. You will now see some details about the case. NOTE: Before creating a filing you must associate an attorney with the case. The associated attorney can be yourself or another attorney that is a member of your firm. 7. Click on the Add New Attorney link to create a new attorney for your firm and also associate them to the case. If the attorney you want to associate with the case is already a member of you TrueFiling Law Firm, you can select them using the Add Attorney link. NOTE: To determine if an attorney is already a member of your firm, click Contacts & Attorneys from the left side menu under Settings. 8. Once an attorney is associated with the case, click the Add New Filing link to create a new filing against the case. The New filing for Case wizard will appear ImageSoft, Inc 26

32 Filing Documents 9. Enter the name of the filing in the Filing Name text box. If you leave the Filing Name blank TrueFiling will automatically generate a name for you. 10. Click Next. The Choose Document Type step will appear ImageSoft, Inc 27

33 Filing Documents 11. Click the document type on the right side of the window. More detailed information for the selected document type appears in the left window, such as instructions, fees and hyperlinks to forms, if applicable. 12. Click Next. The Choose Attorney step will appear ImageSoft, Inc 28

34 Filing Documents 13. Select the attorney responsible for the filing to the right. Once you select the attorney, the attorney name, attorney number and address displays in the lower left corner of the screen. 14. Click Next. 15. Click Browse to search for the file on your local computer to add as the primary document for the filing. 16. Click Upload to upload the file and associated it as the primary document for the filing. At this time you can add additional files as attachments to the filing using the browse and upload functionality. NOTE: Never use attachments to file a separate primary document such as a Brief, Motion or Notice of Hearing. Improper use of Attachments will cause the entire filing to be rejected. 17. Click Next when you are finished uploading all files and attachments. The Choose Servicing step will appear ImageSoft, Inc 29

35 Filing Documents 18. If you would like to e-serve the filing, select Yes, I would like to e-serve this filing. Otherwise, select No thanks. NOTE: The options for e-service are court specific and may vary based on document type and/or case type. Please read the paragraph above the options closely to ensure what you are selecting for e-service matches your needs and the court requirements. 19. Click Finish. The Bundle Detail page will appear. NOTE: Clicking Finish at this step will not file the document or perform service. The user must additionally submit the bundle associated with the filing on another page to actually submit to the court for processing ImageSoft, Inc 30

36 Filing Documents 20. To add another filing to this bundle, click Add New Filing and follow the same steps as described above. After each filing is created, you will return to the Bundle Detail page. The following shows a bundle with three filings ready to be submitted to the court. The bundle is now ready to be submitted. Remember, the court will not have access to the filings contained in a bundle until the bundle is submitted to the court. TrueFiling manages all billing transactions and account reconciliation with the court. Each filing may have one or more fees required for processing by the court. The Bundle Detail page displays a total summation of all fees based on the filings contained. The following figure is a sample for a fee tabulation of a bundle. Each court may impose additional fees such as credit card processing fees, technology usage fees or convenience fees. These fees are determined by the court and may be based on filing document type. To access information about the above fees, follow these steps: 1. Open the Bundle Detail page for the bundle containing the filing ImageSoft, Inc 31

37 Filing Documents 2. Click the fee amount hyperlink in the Additional Fees column associated with the filing. 3. The following dialog will appear describing all of the associated filing fees. 4. Click OK. NOTE: The court determines all of the various fees and fee types associated with a filing based on the filing type. Therefore, the total amount in fees for a filing may vary from court to court and from case 2013 ImageSoft, Inc 32

38 Filing Documents type to case type. However, the statutory fee (also known as the Filing Fee) is usually mandated at the state level based on case type and filing type. Filing Fee The Filing Fee is based on the case type and filing type and is the same fee accessed when filed as paper. Statutory fees are usually mandated at the state level and are based on case type and filing type. Convenience Fee The Convenience Fee is based on the type of filing service requested by the filer during submission. Each court can specify the convenience fee amount based on the servicing selected. For example, a court could impose a $5 convenience fee for e-filing only, an $8 convenience fee for e-filing with e-service and a $5 convenience fee for e-service only. Every court will have a different fee schedule for the convenience fee. Additionally, the court may elect to cap the convenience fees when multiple filings are submitted in the same bundle. This is known as a Bundle Discount. The following shows fee tabulations for a bundle exhibiting the bundle discount. NOTE: The court determines convenience fees associated with a filing based on the filing type and any bundle maximums for accessing the convenience fees. Therefore, the total amount in fees for a filing may vary from court to court and from case type to case type. Processing Fee The Processing Fee is usually set an amount required to cover the credit card processing fee based on the statutory or other fees. Each court determines the processing fee associated every filing based on the case type and filing type. Therefore, the processing fee for a filing may vary from court to court and from case type to case type. Usually, the processing fee is a fixed percentage, such as 3%, of the statutory fee. Some courts may elect to include the convenience fee as part of the processing fee calculation. 21. Submitting a Filing ImageSoft, Inc 33

39 Filing Documents Adding Attachments to an Existing Filing There are two ways in which you can add an attachment to existing filing: From the Filing Detail From the Case Detail NOTE: Attachments must not be another document that needs a different docket entry or documents that need to be filed separately. Adding a document as an attachment that should be filed separately will result in a rejected filing. Consult with the clerk and court to determine documents that need to be filed separately. To add additional documents to a filing from the Filing Detail page, perform the following steps: 1. Open the Filing Detail page for the filing desired. The Filing Detail page will look similar to the following. 2. Click Add under the Attachments section found in the lower right corner. 3. The Add Attachment dialog will appear ImageSoft, Inc 34

40 Filing Documents 4. Click Browse to search for the file on your local computer to add as the primary document for the filing. 5. Click Upload to upload the file as an attachment to the filing. 6. Click Close when you are finished uploading all files and attachments. You will return to the Filing Detail page. NOTE: TrueFiling supports any number of attachments. However, each court can specify a maximum files size for each filing. The maximum file size is based on how much disk space it consumes and not number of pages. To add additional documents to a filing from the Case Detail page, perform the following steps: 1. Open the Case Detail page for the filing desired. The Case Detail page will look similar to the following ImageSoft, Inc 35

41 Filing Documents 2. Identify the filing in the list of Case Filing and click Attachments. The Add Attachment dialog will appear. 3. Click Browse to search for the file on your local computer to add as the primary document for the filing. 4. Click Upload to upload the file as an attachment to the filing. 5. Click Close when you are finished uploading all files and attachments. You will return to the Case Detail page. NOTE: TrueFiling supports any number of attachments. However, each court can specify a maximum files size for each filing. The maximum file size is based on how much disk space it consumes and not number of pages. Understanding Filing Fees TrueFiling manages all billing transactions and account reconciliation with the court. Each filing may have one or more fees required for processing by the court. The Bundle Detail page displays a total summation of all fees based on the filings contained. The following figure is a sample for a fee tabulation of a bundle ImageSoft, Inc 36

42 Filing Documents Each court may impose additional fees such as credit card processing fees, technology usage fees or convenience fees. These fees are determined by the court and may be based on filing document type. To access information about the above fees, follow these steps: 5. Open the Bundle Detail page for the bundle containing the filing. 6. Click the fee amount hyperlink in the Additional Fees column associated with the filing. 7. The following dialog will appear describing all of the associated filing fees ImageSoft, Inc 37

43 Filing Documents 8. Click OK. NOTE: The court determines all of the various fees and fee types associated with a filing based on the filing type. Therefore, the total amount in fees for a filing may vary from court to court and from case type to case type. However, the statutory fee (also known as the Filing Fee) is usually mandated at the state level based on case type and filing type. Filing Fee The Filing Fee is based on the case type and filing type and is the same fee accessed when filed as paper. Statutory fees are usually mandated at the state level and are based on case type and filing type. Convenience Fee The Convenience Fee is based on the type of filing service requested by the filer during submission. Each court can specify the convenience fee amount based on the servicing selected. For example, a court could impose a $5 convenience fee for e-filing only, an $8 convenience fee for e-filing with e-service and a $5 convenience fee for e-service only. Every court will have a different fee schedule for the convenience fee. Additionally, the court may elect to cap the convenience fees when multiple filings are submitted in the same bundle. This is known as a Bundle Discount. The following shows fees tabulation for a bundle exhibiting the bundle discount ImageSoft, Inc 38

44 Filing Documents NOTE: The court determines convenience fees associated with a filing based on the filing type and any bundle maximums for accessing the convenience fees. Therefore, the total amount in fees for a filing may vary from court to court and from case type to case type. Processing Fee The Processing Fee is usually set an amount required to cover the credit card processing fee based on the statutory or other fees. Each court determines the processing fee associated every filing based on the case type and filing type. Therefore, the processing fee for a filing may vary from court to court and from case type to case type. Usually, the processing fee is a fixed percentage, such as 3%, of the statutory fee. Some courts may elect to include the convenience fee as part of the processing fee calculation. Submitting a Filing TrueFiling supports adding additional filings to a bundle using the Create Filing for Case Wizard described earlier. However, the filings in a bundle will remain in an In Progress status until the bundle is submitted to the court. The In Progress status means that the bundle and associated filings have not yet been submitted to the court or electronically served to any of the parties. To submit the bundle and contained filings to the court: 1. Open the Bundle Detail page for the bundle desired. The Bundle Detail page will look similar to the following ImageSoft, Inc 39

45 Filing Documents NOTE: The yellow information bar on the screenshot above is an example of a warning when the bundle you are looking at still has filings in an In Progress status. The filings in an In Progress status have not yet been submitted to the court or electronically served to any of the parties. 2. Verify the fee Total is accurate and select the appropriate credit card as the Payment Account. 3. Click Submit. The bundle and all of the contained filings will be submitted to the court for processing. NOTE: Although a bundle may contain more than one filing and a total is listed in the Bundle Detail page, each filing will be charged individually upon court acceptance. No credit card charges will be applied for a filing until the court accepts it. Deleting a Filing You may want to delete a filing that was entered in error. To delete a filing, perform the following steps: 1. Open the Filing Detail page for the filing you want to delete. 2. Click Delete Filing located above Service Recipients section. 3. TrueFiling will display a confirmation message asking Are you sure you want to delete this filing? 4. Click OK to confirm deleting the filing. NOTE: You cannot delete a filing that has been submitted to the court. You can delete filings before they have been submitted or after they have been filed or rejected. Viewing a Filing Status Information is displayed about the status, document type, filing title, and date filed for each of your filings. Only those filings that you or your firm has submitted are visible rather than all filings in a case. To view a filing status, perform the following steps: 2013 ImageSoft, Inc 40

46 Filing Documents 1. Click Filings from the navigation menu. 2. View the status filings. The following filing statuses are available: Status In Progress Submitted Accepted Filed Not Filed Rejected Filings Description The filing is still being created by the filer and has not been submitted to the clerk for review. The court cannot see and has no knowledge of filings in the In Progress status at all. The filing was submitted to the clerk for review. The clerk will either conditionally accept the filing pending payment or reject the filing. The filing was conditionally accepted and is pending payment. The filing has been accepted by the clerk, paid for when applicable and filed as part of the official case record. The filing has been accepted by the clerk, paid for when applicable but deemed moot (or not filed). The filing is not part of the official case record. The filing envelope is rejected if ImageSoft has identified problems with your credit card or if the Clerk s Office has determined that the filing was directed to the wrong case. On the Details screen, ImageSoft uses the Transaction History section to note any problems with payment. On the same screen, the Court uses the Comments section to note other explanations for rejection such as those listed above ImageSoft, Inc 41

47 Filing Documents Related Documents Related Documents are the documents created by the court or TrueFiling during the submission, review and filing process. The documents include automatically generated the official file-stamped filed copy, payment receipts and automatically generated Proof of Service filings. Official Filing Copy The Official Filing Copy is usually a file-stamped version of the submitted document. However, each court may have a unique method for determining the official filed copy. To download the official filing copy, perform the following steps: 1. Open the Filing Detail Page for the filing you wish to download the official copy. 2. Locate the Transaction History section. 3. Locate the line associated with the Status Filed. 4. Click the paperclip icon next to the Timestamp to start the download. 5. You may be prompted by your browser to save the document locally. The following is an example of how Internet Explorer 9.0 will display the download and save prompt ImageSoft, Inc 42

48 Filing Documents 6. Click Save to save the document locally. After saving you should open the document to verify it is the official file-stamped copy of the filing you submitted. The following shows a sample filestamped copy ImageSoft, Inc 43

49 Filing Documents 7. Be sure to save the file locally as part of your case file. NOTE: The court does not provide an official filing in paper when using TrueFiling. Therefore, it is very important to save a copy of the file-stamped version for your own records and case file. Payment Receipts Every filing in a bundle is accepted and authorized for payment independently. Therefore, every filing will have a separate Payment Receipt detailing the amount charged and the authorization date and code. NOTE: A bundle may contain more than one filing with the total fees listed in the Bundle Detail page. However, each filing will be charged individually upon court acceptance. No credit card charges will be applied for a filing until the court accepts it. To download the payment receipt for a filing, perform the following steps: 1. Open the Filing Detail Page for the filing you wish to download the payment receipt. 2. Locate the Transaction History section ImageSoft, Inc 44

50 Filing Documents 3. Locate the line associated with the Status Paid. 4. Click the paperclip icon next to the Timestamp to start the download. 5. You may be prompted by your browser to save the document locally. The following is an example of how Internet Explorer 9.0 will display the download and save prompt ImageSoft, Inc 45

51 Filing Documents 6. Click Save to save the document locally. After saving you should open the document to verify it is the appropriate amount charged for the filing you submitted. The following shows a sample payment receipt. 7. Be sure to save the file locally as part of your case file. NOTE: As each filing in a bundle is charged independently, the receipt will only show the filing, convenience and processing fees authorized for payment for the associated filing. Therefore, the receipt is not guaranteed to match the total amount listed on the filing s Bundle Detail page. However, the sum of all accepted and paid for filings should be equal to or less than the amount listed on the Bundle Detail page. Generated Proof of Service TrueFiling provides e-servicing capability for any filing that requires service when submitting to the court. The court may charge an additional convenience fee based on the type of filing and the service type. If the filer elects to serve the parties of interest for a filing using e-servicing, TrueFiling will automatically generate, and submit to the court, a Proof of Service ImageSoft, Inc 46

52 Filing Documents NOTE: TrueFiling offers electronic service through and the court will accept the generated Proof of Service. However, the filer is still responsible to verify the appropriate filings were served to opposing counsel based on court rules. Filings, including a generated Proof of Service, should not be considered filed with the court until the filer receives a file-stamped copy and a docket entry is entered. To download the filed copy of a Proof of Service for a filing, perform the following steps: 1. Open the Filing Detail Page for the filing you wish to download a Proof of Service. 2. Locate the Proof of Service section. 3. Click the link associated with the Proof of Service to start the download. 4. You may be prompted by your browser to save the document locally. The following is an example of how Internet Explorer 9.0 will display the download and save prompt ImageSoft, Inc 47

53 Filing Documents 5. Click Save to save the document locally. After saving you should open the document to verify it shows the appropriate service recipients for the filing you submitted. The following shows a sample Proof of Service ImageSoft, Inc 48

54 Filing Documents 6. Be sure to save the file locally as part of your case file. NOTE: Previously filed documents can be re-served to any recipient without requiring a new filing or additional charges. If required by the court, TrueFiling will also generate a new Proof of Service and file it with the court on the filer s behalf. You will see all of the Proof of Service documents listed, by date, in this section of the Filing Detail page ImageSoft, Inc 49

55 Notifications Notifications All filings undergo a review and acceptance process before being officially filed or rejected by the clerk s office or court. During this process, the filer can opt to receive notifications whenever the status of the filing changes or activity is performed by the clerk s office or court. Setting Preferences To change the notification preferences, click Notifications from My Settings section found in the main menu. Preferences include settings to receive an when a file is rejected, when a filing is paid, when a filing is accepted and now pending payment, and others. By default, these settings are unselected. Therefore, you will not receive any notifications when the status for a filing changes, including rejection notifications for improper filings or for payment failure. Understanding Notification Messages The following section explains the above settings and will help you determine the level of notifications appropriate for you. The notifications should not be construed as validation for a filing being officially filed. NOTE: Every filing should be considered NOT FILED until the court has docketed the filing and an official copy is available for you to download from the Transaction History located on the Filing Detail page. me when a filing is Rejected If this setting is enabled, the filer will receive an whenever a filing is rejected by the clerk or the court. The body will contain information regarding the nature of the rejection. The filing should be considered NOT FILED and you will need to create a new filing with the appropriate changes and resubmit ImageSoft, Inc 50

56 Notifications The following is an example of a rejection notification for a filing. The above notification is an example and is not guaranteed to be the same for every court. For instance, some courts may elect to charge the credit card for some rejected filings as the court performed required actions but ultimately did not docket the filing. NOTE: The filing should be considered NOT FILED and you will need to create a new filing with the appropriate changes and re-submit. me when a filing is Accepted, pending payment If this setting is enabled, the filer will receive an whenever a filing has been accepted by the clerk or the court but is waiting to be processed for payment by TrueFiling. NOTE: The filing should be considered NOT FILED as the court has not docketed this filing yet. However, there is no further action you need to perform as the filing is still in progress and awaits payment and official docketing. me when a filing is Rejected due to payment issues If this setting is enabled, the filer will receive an whenever TrueFiling failed to authorize the payment for a filing that was accepted by the court. There are many reasons for a failed payment, including but not limited to: Expired Credit Card Closed Card Insufficient Funds Credit Card deleted from TrueFiling by a filer or firm administrator 2013 ImageSoft, Inc 51

57 Notifications NOTE: The filing should be considered NOT FILED as the court has not docketed this filing yet. Although there was nothing wrong with the filing with respect to the clerk, you will need to create a new filing and re-submit using a valid credit card. me when a filing is Paid If this setting is enabled, the filer will receive an whenever a filing has been accepted by the clerk or the court and has been authorized for payment but is waiting to be officially filed by the clerk and court. NOTE: The filing should be considered NOT FILED as the court has not docketed the filing yet. However, there is no further action you need to perform as the filing is still in progress and awaits official docketing. me when the court sends comments on a filing If this setting is enabled, the filer will receive an whenever the clerk or court sends updates the status or adds comments for a filing. These messages are typically produced by a clerk or court employee with the intent of communicating with the filer. Opting in for this level of messaging will override any of the individual status changes listed above. Therefore, enabling this setting may provide you with status updates listed above like, paid, rejected and filed regardless of the specific setting selections. However, you will never receive two messages for the same correspondence from the court based on the settings selected. NOTE: Every filing should be considered NOT FILED until the court has docketed the filing and an official copy is available for you to download from the Transaction History located on the Filing Detail page. me when the court sends system messages for a filing If this setting is enabled, the filer will receive an whenever the clerk or court backend system updates the status for a filing. These messages are typically system generated and not produced by a clerk or court employee. Opting in for this level of messaging will override any of the individual status changes listed above. Therefore, enabling this setting may provide you with status updates listed above like, paid, rejected and filed regardless of the specific setting selections. However, you will never receive two messages for the same correspondence from the court based on the settings selected. NOTE: Every filing should be considered NOT FILED until the court has docketed the filing and an official copy is available for you to download from the Transaction History located on the Filing Detail page ImageSoft, Inc 52

58 Electronic Document Service Electronic Document Service TrueFiling provides e-servicing for filings based on the need for service and court-specific rules and payment options. TrueFiling serves the documents to all of the service recipients through . TrueFiling tracks the mail transaction history in order to provide verification of electronic submission to a mail transfer agent. Each served party is sent a unique URL allowing them access to the served documents. Previously filed documents can be re-served to any recipient without requiring a new filing or additional charges. This section provides you with the necessary knowledge to service documents. Auto Servicing Auto servicing allows you to choose to automatically e-serve filings and send a system-generated proof of service filing to the court. By choosing the auto servicing option through TrueFiling you will no longer need to file a Proof of Service for the filing as one will be automatically created on submitted for filing to the court. NOTE: TrueFiling offers electronic service through and the court will accept the generated Proof of Service. However, the filer is still responsible to verify the appropriate filings were served to opposing counsel based on court rules. Filings, including a generated Proof of Service, should not be considered filed with the court until the filer receives a file-stamped copy and a docket entry is entered. Service Recipients TrueFiling provides the ability to add service recipients to a specific filing. A service recipient requires an address to be considered serviceable. An organization has the ability to maintain a list of contacts and attorneys which can be used as service recipients. The filing organization can add contacts as potential service recipients for each specific case. Filing organizations can only edit or remove their own contacts for a case. Contacts can be added as service recipients when creating a filing. Service recipients can be excluded during the time of filing and added after a filing is submitted to allow it to be served to new recipients as long as they paid for servicing. Adding a Case Contact as a Service Recipient To add a case contact as a service recipient, perform the following steps: 1. From within an existing filing, click Add Service Recipient in the Service Recipients section. 2. Select contact from the Address dropdown list. 3. Click OK ImageSoft, Inc 53

59 Electronic Document Service 4. The new service recipient will be added to the Service Recipients list. NOTE: Previously filed documents can be re-served to any recipient without requiring a new filing or additional charges. If required by the court, TrueFiling will also generate a new Proof of Service and file it with the court on the filer s behalf. Adding a Service Recipient not Associated with the Case To add an address not already associated with the case as a service recipient, perform the following steps: 1. From within an existing filing, click Add Service Recipient in the Service Recipients section. 2. Select Add New from the Address dropdown list. The dropdown list of addresses will change to a text box. 3. Enter the address for the new recipient in Address and click OK. 4. The new service recipient will be added to the Service Recipients list. NOTE: Previously filed documents can be re-served to any recipient without requiring a new filing or additional charges. If required by the court, TrueFiling will also generate a new Proof of Service and file it with the court on the filer s behalf. Removing Service Recipients To remove an address as a service recipient, perform the following steps: 1. From the Filing Detail page for a filing, locate the service recipients under the Service Recipients section ImageSoft, Inc 54

60 Electronic Document Service 2. Verify the checkbox located next to each contact you wish to remove is checked. 3. Click Remove Selected Servicing. 4. The list of recipients will refresh. NOTE: You can remove a service recipient at any time during the lifetime of a filing. However, deleting a service recipient after they have already been electronically served will not retract any previously sent s. Also, any automatically generated Proof of Service document will still show a record of the e- served recipient. Service History As stated above, TrueFiling serves the documents to all of the service recipients through and tracks the mail transaction history in order to provide verification of electronic submission to a mail transfer agent. Each served party is sent a unique URL allowing them access to the served documents. The following figure shows a sample for e-servicing ImageSoft, Inc 55

61 Electronic Document Service The Service History tracks every time the served party clicks the link from the e-service and starts downloading the filing. After the first attempt to download the filing, the Viewed status for the recipient will change from No to Yes. The following figure shows three service recipients each with various statuses with respect to e-servicing. For instance, in the example above, both and were e-served with clicking the link in the . However, was not e-served yet and has not clicked any link to download the filing ImageSoft, Inc 56

62 Settings Settings This section provides you with the necessary knowledge to access contacts and attorneys, login users, my settings and accounts in the TrueFiling application. The Contacts & Attorneys page contains a list of contacts and attorneys available for serving documents for a case. The Login Users page allows system administrators to manage individuals who have login access to your firm. The My Settings page allows you to change your password, change your default page, and select notifications. The Accounts page provides credit card information for payment of filings and fees. Managing Contacts Before adding contacts to your Firm Contact List, review the list first to avoid duplicate entries. Once you have established the list does not contain the contact you wish to add, you must first select a case. This avoids duplicate entries for the same service contact. There are two ways in which to add contacts: 1. Add contacts through the Contacts & Attorneys menu 2. Add contacts through an existing case NOTE: Adding a contact through an existing case is equivalent to adding contacts through the Contacts & Attorneys menu and associating that contact with the case. Add New Contacts To add new contacts through the Contacts & Attorneys menu, perform the following steps: 1. Click Contacts & Attorneys from the left navigation menu. The My Contacts page will appear. NOTE: Contacts will always be denoted with the man-in-a-tie icon. Attorneys will always be denoted with the woman-in-blue icon. 2. Click Add New Contact. The New Contact dialog will appear ImageSoft, Inc 57

63 Settings 3. Enter all of the relevant contact information, with the address being the only required field, and click OK. NOTE: Although address is the only required field for a contact, the contact name and address are very useful for e-service and for generating the Proof of Services for a filing. 4. The new contact will be added to the My Contacts listing. To add new contacts through an existing case, perform the following steps: 1. From the appropriate Case Detail page, locate the Contacts section. 2. First verify the contact does not already exist in your master list of contacts. To do this, Click Add Contact. The Add Existing Contact dialog will appear ImageSoft, Inc 58

64 Settings 3. If the contact exists in the list, select the checkbox for the contact and click Add Selected. 4. If the contact does not exist in the list, click Cancel to close the dialog and then click Add New Contact. The New Contact dialog will appear. 5. Enter all of the relevant contact information, with the address being the only required field, and click OK ImageSoft, Inc 59

65 Settings NOTE: Although address is the only required field for a contact, the contact name and address are very useful for e-service and for generating the Proof of Services for a filing. 6. The new contact will be added to the Contacts section. NOTE: The contact associated with the case was automatically added to the contacts listed in your My Contacts list found under Contacts & Attorneys and is available to be associated with other cases. Add Existing Contacts To associate an existing contact to a case, perform the following steps: 1. From the appropriate Case Detail page, locate the Contacts section. 2. First verify the contact does not already exist in your master list of contacts. To do this, Click Add Contact. The Add Existing Contact dialog will appear. 3. Select the checkbox for the contact and click Add Selected ImageSoft, Inc 60

66 Settings NOTE: If the contact does not exist in the list, click Cancel to close the dialog and then click Add New Contact. This will allow you to create a new contact and associate them with the case. 4. The new contact will be added to the Contacts section. Managing Attorneys Add New Attorneys To add new contacts through the Contacts & Attorneys menu, perform the following steps: 1. Click Contacts & Attorneys from the left navigation menu. The My Contacts page will appear. NOTE: Contacts will always be denoted with the man-in-a-tie icon. Attorneys will always be denoted with the women-in-blue icon. 2. Click Add New Attorney. The New Attorney dialog will appear ImageSoft, Inc 61

67 Settings 3. Enter the Attorney Number for the attorney you are adding and verify the checkbox attesting the attorney has rights to file for your firm is selected. NOTE: You must select the checkbox attesting the attorney you are adding is a member of your law firm and has the rights to file documents to the courts on behalf of your law firm. Do not check this if the attorney is a member of the opposing counsel or is not a member of your law firm. 4. Enter the rest of the attorney information and click OK. 5. The new contact will be added to the My Contacts listing. To add new contacts through an existing case, perform the following steps: 1. From the appropriate Case Detail page, locate the Contacts section ImageSoft, Inc 62

68 Settings 2. First verify the attorney does not already exist in your master list of contacts and attorneys. To verify, click Add Attorney. The Add Existing Attorney dialog will appear listing all of the attorneys for your firm not already associated with the case. 3. If the attorney exists in the list, select the checkbox for the attorney and click Add Selected. 4. If the attorney does not exist in the list, click Cancel to close the dialog and then click Add New Attorney. The New Attorney dialog will appear ImageSoft, Inc 63

69 Settings 5. Enter the Attorney Number for the attorney you are adding and verify the checkbox attesting the attorney has rights to file for your firm is selected. NOTE: You must select the checkbox attesting the attorney you are adding is a member of your law firm and has the rights to file documents to the courts on behalf of your law firm. Do not check this if the attorney is a member of the opposing counsel or is not a member of your law firm. 6. Enter the rest of the attorney information and click OK. 7. The new contact will be added to the Contacts section. NOTE: The attorney associated with the case was automatically added to the attorneys listed in your My Contacts list found under Contacts & Attorneys and is available to be associated with other cases. Add Existing Attorneys To associate an existing attorney to a case, perform the following steps: 2013 ImageSoft, Inc 64