1. DESIGNATION OF CASES, PASSWORDS AND REGISTRATION
   1. Designation of Cases
   2. Passwords
   3. Registration
2. FILING DOCUMENTS
   1. Manner of Filing
   2. Effect of Electronic Filing
   3. Statement of Social Security Number(s) (Official Form 121/Local Form 121)
   4. Petitions
   5. Non-Filing Spouse
   6. Creditor Matrix
   7. Exhibits
   8. Filing Documents Under Seal
   9. Tax Documents
3. NOTICE AND SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS
   1. Notice of Electronic Filing
   2. Consent to Electronic Service and Effect of Notice
   3. Conventional Service
   4. Certificate of Service
   5. Service of Summons
4. SIGNATURES
   1. Original Signatures
   2. Format
   3. Retention
5. FEES
   1. Credit or Plastic Cards
   2. Delinquent Fees
   3. Filing Fee Applications
   4. Refund Policy
6. ORDERS
   1. Manner of Submission - Electronic Filing
   2. Entry of Orders and Service
7. APPEALS
   1. Documents Required for Appeal - Electronic Filing
8. PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE CM/ECF SYSTEM
   1. Internet Access with a Password
   2. "Free Look"
   3. Public Access at the Court
   4. Conventional Copies and Certified/Exemplified Copies
   5. Restricted Viewing of Documents

ATTACHMENTS

• A-1  CM/ECF USER AGREEMENT AND TRAINING REGISTRATION
• A-2  EXHIBIT SUMMARY
• A-3  PDF SPECIFICATIONS
• A-4  FORMAT OF ELECTRONIC ORDERS
• A-5  CASE UPLOAD SPECIFICATIONS

CM/ECF
Administrative Procedures

1. DESIGNATION OF CASES, PASSWORDS AND REGISTRATION
   1. Designation of Cases
      The provisions in these Administrative Procedures and any amendments thereto apply to documents filed or submitted on or after February 23, 2004. Revisions have been made in June of 2006 to incorporate updates from the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. They also govern access to, and use of, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin's Case Management/Electronic Case Filing System (CM/ECF System or System).
   2. Passwords
      Attorneys, United States Trustees, private trustees, and others may register as Filing Users. Registration will permit the user to electronically file and retrieve pleadings and other documents. A user’s password, combined with the user’s login, constitutes the user's signature on any document or pleading submitted electronically through the System.
   3. Registration - Detailed registration instructions can be found on the "Training and Registration" page of our court's website
      1. Registration Form. Each user must submit a registration request to our court through PACER. Attorneys must ensure that the necessary steps for admission to the Eastern District of Wisconsin have been taken prior to requesting access to our court’s filing system.
      2. Maintaining Account. After review, the court will either approve or deny the registration request and will notify the user in a timely manner. Users are responsible for maintaining their PACER accounts and ensuring that their contact information is up to date.
      3. Use and Protection of Login. Any login issued for the System should be used exclusively by the registered user or by persons authorized by the registered user. Registered users should not knowingly permit a login to be used by anyone who is not authorized to use the login, and no person should knowingly use another user's login unless such person is so authorized.
      4. Password Security. If a user has reason to suspect the login and password have been compromised, it is the user's duty to change the password through the PACER website.
      5. Email Address. Once registered, a user must maintain a current and primary e-mail address to receive e-mail notification from the System. This maintenance is done through the PACER website.
      6. Bounced E-mail Addresses.
         If an attorney's secondary e-mail address in CM/ECF is bouncing for more than a 48-hour period:
         1. We will delete the secondary email address; and
         2. Notify the attorney by e-mail to the attorney's primary e-mail address that the secondary e-mail address in CM/ECF is invalid and was deleted.
         If an attorney's primary e-mail address in CM/ECF bounces:
         1. As soon as administratively possible, the Clerk's office will contact the attorney or a staff member and notify them of the problem. The Clerk's office will make best efforts to speak directly to the attorney, but will otherwise leave a voicemail message.
         2. We will give the attorney approximately seven (7) days to fix the e-mail address.
         3. If seven days pass and the attorney's primary e-mail address is still bouncing:
            1. We will send a letter notifying the attorney that his/her CM/ECF account will no longer receive electronic notices; and
            2. We will delete the bad primary e-mail address.
      7. Withdrawal from System. A user may withdraw from the System by providing the Clerk with written notice of such withdrawal. Upon receipt of the written notice, the Clerk will cancel the user’s login. Terminating access to the System does not constitute an attorney's withdrawal as the attorney of record for his/her client.
2. FILING DOCUMENTS
   1. Manner of Filing
      1. Electronic Filing. Electronic Filing is filing through the ECF System by registered users.
      2. Conventional Filing. Conventional Filing is filing documents in paper format, on a floppy diskette, or on a CD-ROM.
   2. Effect of Electronic Filing
      1. Entry on Docket. Electronic transmission of a document to the System, confirmed by the Court's transmission of its Notice of Electronic Filing, constitutes filing a document for purposes of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and the Rules of this Court, and constitutes entry of the document on the docket kept by the Clerk of Court under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 5003.
      2. Official Record. The official record of a document filed or scanned by the Clerk after February 23, 2004, is the electronic record of the document as stored by the Clerk.
   3. Statement of Social Security Number(s) (Official Form 121/Local Form 121)
      1. Electronic Filing. The information contained on the form is submitted to the Clerk as part of the process to open a case. There is no need to submit the form.
      2. Amended Statement of Social Security Number(s). When amending, file electronically using the event "Amended Form 121" (the document will be restricted).
      3. No Social Security or Tax ID Number. The social security or tax identification number information can be bypassed during the case opening process if the party does not have a number.
   4. Petitions
      Bookmarks. The initial bankruptcy petitions and supporting documents filed must be tagged with bookmarks, clearly labeled, and generated by PDF software to permit navigation to particular documents and schedules.
   5. Non-Filing Spouse
      A specific event has been created to add the name, address and social security number of a non-filing spouse. The event is called "Add Party" and it can be found on the "Bankruptcy" menu, under "Miscellaneous/Other Events."
   6. Creditor Matrix
      Whether filed conventionally or electronically, the creditor matrix must be prepared and filed in accordance with LR 1007 and the Appendix to the Local Rules - Requirements for Filing a List of Creditors (Creditor Matrix). A debtor who amends Schedules D or E/F to add or change creditors or creditor addresses must also file a supplemental matrix, listing only the new creditors and addresses. Paper matrices are only accepted in extenuating circumstances in accordance with the Appendix to the Local Rules.
   7. Exhibits
      1. Pleadings. For the convenience of the filer and other parties, documents and claims that reference voluminous exhibits, including but not limited to leases, mortgages, promissory notes and the like, may be submitted in summary form. The summary need only include a brief description of the exhibits that are directly germane to the matter under consideration by the Court. The summary should be submitted as part of the document. The actual exhibits must be available to counsel and the Court upon request. The actual exhibits must also be available in the courtroom at any time they are intended to be used as evidence. A sample Exhibit Summary and Certificate of Service is attached to this document (Attachment A-2).
      2. Trial. Exhibits for trial (on an adversary or contested matter) should not be filed with the Clerk. Except as provided in a pretrial order, exhibits should be listed on an Exhibit Summary and delivered to the Judge’s chambers and opposing counsel in paper format at least three business days prior to trial.
   8. Filing Documents Under Seal
      Documents may be filed under seal on motion to the Court. Movant is required to electronically submit two separate filings. Filing (1) consists of a Motion to File Documents Under Seal (example: https://www.wieb.uscourts.gov/local-sample-forms) and is filed using Motion to Seal (Bankruptcy/Adversary → Motions/Applications → Seal). Filing (2) consists of the actual documents the movant intends to seal and should be filed using Sealed Document (Bankruptcy/Adversary → Motions/Applications → Sealed Document). The documents in (2) are immediately restricted to authorized court personnel only. If the Motion is denied by the Court, the movant will have the opportunity to withdraw the document before the court grants public access to the document. If the Motion is granted, the Court will sign an order confirming the electronic sealing of the document.
   9. Tax Documents
      No tax information filed with the bankruptcy court or otherwise provided by the debtor will be available to the public via the Internet, PACER, or CM/ECF. To file tax information in the system, use the event "Tax Information" which can be found on the "Bankruptcy" menu, under "Other Events" or "Miscellaneous." Local Rule 1007.2 specifies the information that may be required to be filed with either the court or the case trustee prior to discharge. Debtors providing tax information under 11 U.S.C. § 521 should redact personal information as set forth in Fed. R. Brnkr. P. 9037.
3. NOTICE AND SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS
   1. Notice of Electronic Filing
      When a document is filed electronically, or filed conventionally and docketed electronically by the Clerk, the System will automatically transmit a "Notice of Electronic Filing" by email to all registered users in the case. The Notice of Electronic Filing will indicate the time of filing the name of the filing party and user, the type of document filed, and the text of the docket entry. The Notice will also contain a hyperlink to the document, allowing the e-mail recipient to view, print, and download the document without fee. A list of those persons who will receive the document electronically through the System and a list of those to whom it will not be sent electronically is also provided in the Notice.

      It is the filer's responsibility to serve by conventional methods any persons required to receive the document, who have not received the document electronically. For example, it is not anticipated that consumer debtors will receive e-mail notification of documents filed in their cases. If the Bankruptcy Rules require the debtor to be served with a document, the filer should use conventional service methods, such as first-class mail, to serve the debtor.
   2. Consent to Electronic Service and Effect of Notice
      Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(b)(2)(D), and Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9036, with the exception of service of process under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7004, registration to file electronically constitutes the user’s consent to receive notice and service by electronic means and is a written waiver of service by other means (e.g., first-class mail). For registered users, notice through the ECF System constitutes service of the documents referenced in the Notice of Electronic Filing.
   3. Conventional Service
      When documents are filed conventionally, the filer must serve all documents via first-class mail or as otherwise permitted by the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure upon all persons entitled to notice or service.
   4. Certificate of Service
      The certificate of service should indicate on whom the document was served and the manner of service. If service is made through the ECF System, it is sufficient for the certificate of service to state that service was made by the ECF Notice of Electronic Filing and to show the names of those served without listing each user's e-mail address. When service is made through the System on some parties, and by mail, or otherwise on others, the names and manner of service must be delineated.
   5. Service of Summons
      Nothing herein should be construed to eliminate the necessity of serving a summons and complaint in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.
4. SIGNATURES
   1. Original Signatures
      1. Petitions and Other Documents. The user login and password required to submit documents to the System serve as the registered user's signature on the petition and other documents. Their login and password also serve as a signature for the purposes of Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9011, for the rules of this Court, and for any other purpose for which a signature is required in connection with proceedings before the Court. The CM/ECF Login and Password constitutes signature and is fully described in Local Rule 1008.
   2. Format
      1. Electronic Filing
         1. Petitions and Other Documents. LR 1008 states, "The user login and password required to submit documents to the CM/ECF System constitute the registered user’s signature on electronic documents filed using that system. By filing a petition, schedule, statement, amendment, stipulation or other verified document containing a signature of a person other than the registered user, the registered user represents that person, in fact, signed the document. “S/___” or a similar notation constitutes a signature for purposes of this Local Rule."
      2. Conventional Filing. Documents filed in paper format or on floppy diskette/CDROM must contain signatures.
   3. Retention
      Pursuant to Local Rule 5005.1(a)(b), "documents that must contain original signatures of a debtor or other entity. A party that files electronically a document that is required to contain an original signature, including a document signed under penalty of perjury pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746 or verified under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1008, must maintain the document for a period of 5 years after the closing of the case, unless the court orders a different period. Upon request of the court or any party in interest, the filer must provide original documents for review."
5. FEES
   1. Credit or Plastic Cards
      Payments will only be accepted through Pay.gov for electronic filers. Detailed information is contained in the Pay.gov Attorney/Trustee Manual.
   2. Delinquent Fees
      When a fee is required with any pleading or document filed electronically, and the fee is not paid with a credit or plastic card, the filer must pay the required fee within 24 hours or the CM/ECF user privileges will be temporarily suspended. If suspended, the user would see a notice and instructions on how to unlock CM/ECF the next time he/she logs onto CM/ECF. The Court may dismiss the case or deny the subject pleading for failure to pay the required fee and the Clerk may revoke the user’s login.
   3. Filing Fee Applications
      When permitted in an individual case, an Application to Pay Filing Fee in Installments or an Application for Waiver of the Chapter 7 Filing Fee may be filed electronically to address the filing fee required for new petitions.
   4. Refund Policy
      Refunds will not be issued for overpayments of less than $10.00. This does not apply to Pay.gov payments.
6. ORDERS
   1. Manner of Submission - Electronic Filing
      The System will allow electronic submission of all proposed orders through the "Proposed Order" event located in the "Miscellaneous" sub-menu (Bankruptcy or Adversary). Detailed instructions can be found here. These orders must be PDF documents with a three-inch margin at the top of the first page for the signature stamp. Further, the PDF order should not contain a signature line and should have three or five pound signs "#####" centered immediately after the last line of text in the order (see Attachment A-4).
   2. Entry of Orders and Service
      1. Entry. Orders and judgments of the Court will be docketed electronically by the Court in accordance with these procedures. Any order docketed by the Court and transmitted through the ECF System without the original signature of the Judge has the same force and effect as if the Judge had affixed his or her signature to a paper copy of the order.
      2. Service. Upon the entry of an order or judgment, the System will electronically transmit a Notice of Electronic Filing to registered users in the case. The Clerk will serve a copy of the order to the contesting parties and to other entities as the court directs pursuant to Rule 9022. It is the responsibility of the filer to serve any other parties.
7. APPEALS
   1. Documents Required for Appeal - Electronic Filing
      As with all documents, a notice, certification, or request for certification of an appeal must be filed in PDF format and linked to the order or judgment being appealed. The appellant must also file the designation of record and statement of issues on appeal within the time required by the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. If items were entered on the docket prior to February 23, 2004, the appellant and appellee are responsible for delivering paper copies of all documents designated, such as pleadings, exhibits, and transcripts to the Bankruptcy Clerk.
8. PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE CM/ECF SYSTEM
   1. Internet Access with a Password
      Any person with a valid PACER login and password may access the System at https://ecf.wieb.uscourts.gov/. A PACER login and password can be obtained by contacting the PACER Service Center at 1-800-676-6856 or online at http://pacer.uscourts.gov.
   2. "Free Look"
      Registered users will not be charged for one "free-look" (i.e., initial retrieval, download, viewing and printing of a document) when a document is accessed directly from the email Notice of Electronic Filing. Users are encouraged to download or print the notice and underlying documents because the link to those documents from the e-mail will only operate once.
   3. Public Access at the Court
      The public will have electronic access to view bankruptcy records at no charge at the Bankruptcy Clerk’s Office (517 E. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 126, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) during regular business hours. A fee will be charged for printed copies.
   4. Conventional Copies and Certified/Exemplified Copies
      Conventional copies and certified/exemplified copies of electronically filed documents may be obtained at the Clerk's Office. The fee for copying, certification, and/or exemplification will be in accordance with the fees imposed by 28 U.S.C. §1930(b).
   5. Restricted Viewing of Documents
      1. No tax information filed with the bankruptcy court or otherwise provided by the debtor will be available to the public via the Internet, PACER, or CM/ECF.
      2. To gain access to a debtor's tax information under 11 U.S.C. § 521(f), the United States trustee, trustee, or party in interest, including a creditor, must follow the procedures set forth below.
         1. A written request that a debtor file copies of tax returns with the court pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 521(f) shall be filed with the court and served on the debtor and debtor's counsel, if any.
         2. In order to obtain access to debtor's tax information that is filed with the bankruptcy court, the movant must file a motion with the court, which should include:
            1. a description of the movant's status in the case, to allow the court to ascertain whether the movant may properly be given access to the requested tax information,
            2. a description of the specific tax information sought,
            3. a statement indicating that the information cannot be obtained by the movant from any other sources, and
            4. a statement showing a demonstrated need for the tax information.

United States Bankruptcy Court
Eastern District of Wisconsin
ELECTRONIC CASE FILING (ECF) SYSTEM
USER AGREEMENT

By registering the user agrees to the following conditions for filing electronic documents:

1. Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9011 requires that every pleading, motion, and other paper (except lists, schedules, statements or amendments thereto) filed with the court be signed by at least one attorney of record or, if the party is not represented by an attorney, by the party. The unique password issued to a user of the ECF system identifies that user to the court each time the user logs on to the ECF system. The use of a user’s password serves as and constitutes the signature of the user, for purposes of Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9011 and all applicable laws, rules of ethics, and standards of conduct, on any document or pleading filed electronically using that user's password. Therefore, the user must protect and secure the password issued by the court. If any reason exists to suspect the password is compromised in any way, it is the duty and responsibility of the user to notify the court immediately. The court will thereafter delete that password from the electronic filing system and issue a new password, if appropriate.
    
2. The password is a privilege granted solely by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. At no time will any property interest vest in the user or any other person.
    
3. Any electronic filing which requires a fee identified in the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule will be collected in a manner detailed in the Administrative Procedures. The user agrees to pay fees timely by the method detailed in the procedures.
    
4. A user's registration constitutes consent and a request to receive notice by electronic transmission through the CM/ECF system pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(b)(2)(D) and Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9036 and 7004. Moreover, the user has not waived the right to object if the electronic service is defective (mis-labeled, unreadable, blank, empty, etc).
    
5. The user may withdraw this agreement at any time by delivery of a letter of withdrawal to the clerk of the bankruptcy court.
    
6. The user agrees to abide by the most recent set of Administrative Procedures promulgated by the Court, and all technical and procedural requirements set forth therein.

CM/ECF Training

CM/ECF training is no longer a prerequisite for electronic filing access to our court. However, if an applicant desires further instruction in electronic filing, our court will offer consultation on an as-needed basis. Our Training Specialist will work with the applicant and/or the applicant's staff directly to determine the best course of action for instruction. If you are interested in receiving instruction for electronic filing, please contact our Training Specialist (Paul Walter - paul_c_walter@wieb.uscourts.gov or 414-290-2730), or an Operations Supervisor (Erin Bareis - erin_e_bareis@wieb.uscourts.gov or 414-290-2719 or Amanda Sippel - amanda_e_sippel@wieb.uscourts.gov or 414-290-2710) directly to schedule your consultation.

PLEASE NOTE: If your filings are limited to only Proofs of Claim, it is not necessary to register for a CM/ECF account. Creditors are able to file Proof of Claim forms for all chapters electronically without a CM/ECF login and password. Please refer to the "Information for Creditors" section of our court's home page located at www.wieb.uscourts.gov. Then click on the option entitled "File a Claim On-Line."

ATTACHMENT A-1

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN

EXHIBIT SUMMARY AND CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

The following exhibits are referenced in support of __________________________________________________________ (the motion, pleading, or claim to be filed). These exhibits are available on request:

Signature Block Copy of the summary served this ________
day of ____________, _____, on:

[respondent(s) - motion]
[debtor's attorney and trustee, if claim]

ATTACHMENT A-2

United States Bankruptcy Court
Eastern District of Wisconsin

CM/ECF PDF SPECIFICATIONS

Requirements for documents submitted electronically:

1. Document must be in PDF format.
2. The Bankruptcy Noticing Center maintains a list of supported fonts: BNC Supported Fonts.pdf. Fonts not listed in this document may fail to correctly process. 
3. Security must be turned off on PDF.
4. Page size must be 8.5 inch x 11 inch.
5. Page orientation must be vertical.
6. Document must be under 21.5 Megabytes.
7. Document cannot be password protected.
8. Document cannot contain embedded links to external websites or documents.
9. Our system will reject any document containing Remote Approach tracking tags.
   1. Remote Approach is a software program that performs document distribution measurement of PDF files. The software allows document distributors to add special tags to their PDF documents to determine if their PDF documents are being read, downloaded, or forwarded. Remote Approach sends the document distributor a notice each time a document is viewed.

ATTACHMENT A-3

United States Bankruptcy Court
Eastern District of Wisconsin

CM/ECF E-FILING OF ELECTRONIC ORDERS

1. Format of E-Order
   1. Professional quality
      1. Use the proper caption.
      2. Maintain an adequate margin on each page.
      3. Provide adequate line spacing for readability.
      4. Clearly delineate paragraphs.
   2. Document must be in PDF format.
      1. A three inch space must be present at the top of the first page of the order to accommodate the judge's signature, court seal and date.
      2. Center three or five #'s on the line immediately after the last line of text in the proposed order to indicate the end of the order. For example:

                                                                                                                       #####
          

      3. The Bankruptcy Noticing Center maintains a list of supported fonts: BNC Supported Fonts.pdf. Fonts not listed in this document may fail to correctly process. 
      4. Security must be turned off on pdf.
      5. Page Size must be 8.5 in x 11 in.
      6. E-Orders can not stamp documents which have been created with Adobe Distiller 6.0 default settings. See the steps below to adjust the particular parameters to make Adobe Distiller 6.0 produce a "signable" PDF file:
         • (1)  In Adobe Distiller 6.0
           • (a)  Click Settings.
           • (b)  Click Edit Adobe PDF Settings {A new screen appears}
           • (c)  Click File Options {There will be a line called: Object Level Compression. It will have a drop down menu. There will be two choices Off and Tags Only}
           • (d)  CHOOSE OFF
      7. Page orientation must be vertical.

ATTACHMENT A-4

United States Bankruptcy Court
Eastern District of Wisconsin
CM/ECF CASE UPLOAD SPECIFICATIONS

Debtor Record

Alias Record (one per alias)

ATTACHMENT A-5