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The California Northern Bankruptcy Court's Case Management/Electronic Case Filing System (CM/ECF) has been upgraded to the Next Generation of Case Management/Electronic Case Filing System (NextGen CM/ECF).

The Case Management/Electronic Case Filing is a comprehensive case management system that allows courts to maintain electronic case files and offers electronic filing over the Internet.

CANB NextGen Implementation

California Northern Bankruptcy will be upgrading its Case Management/Electronic Case Filing System (CM/ECF) to the Next Generation of CM/ECF (NextGen).  This upgrade will provide users with several benefits including Central Sign-On: the ability for e-filing attorneys to access any NextGen court they practice within using one login and password. 

Upon Go-Live, February 16, 2021, you must have linked your upgraded PACER account to your PAEB NextGen CM/ECF account. Users will NOT be able to file in NextGen until their CM/ECF account is linked to their upgraded individual PACER account. Users cannot link before February 16, 2021

To prepare for the upgraded system, you must take a few preliminary steps.  Your PACER Account will be your login (entry point for both PACER and CM/ECF).  Therefore, you must have access to an Individual PACER Account.

Follow steps 1 through 3 below.

1.

Obtain your own individual PACER account, if you do not already have one.  Register for a new PACER account by clicking here: https://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/pscof/regWizard.jsf

If you already have your own PACER account, then go to Step 2.

 

2.

Upgrade Your PACER Account

If your PACER account was created prior to August 2014, you may need to upgrade your account before your court moves to NextGen CM/ECF.  An upgraded PACER account allows you to use the same account to search for case information and  file electronically in a court using NextGen courtCM/ECF. 

To upgrade your existing PACER account: 

Log in with your PACER username and password, and check the Account Type. If your account is already upgraded, it will say ‘Account Type: Upgraded PACER Account.’ If it indicates ‘Account Type: Legacy PACER Account’, select the Upgrade link.  

 

3.

Link Your CM/ECF Filing Account to Your Upgraded PACER Account 

After the court moves to NextGen CM/ECF, you must link your CM/ECF filing credentials (login and password) to your upgraded PACER account. You must know both sets of credentials to link the accounts. 

  1. Go to the NextGen CM/ECF website of the court in which you are registered to e-file. Look up the court’s website using the Court CM/ECF Lookup

     
  2. Click the “CM/ECF Document Filing System” link. At the login screen, log in with your upgraded PACER account credentials. 

     
  3. Click the “Utilities” menu. 

     
  4. Click “Link a CM/ECF account to my PACER account.” If you do not see this option, look for “NextGen Release 1.1 Menu Item,” click it, and then click “Link a CM/ECF account to my PACER account.” 

     
  5. Enter your CM/ECF login and password. 

     
  6. You will be prompted to confirm the CM/ECF account being linked to the PACER account to ensure you are not linking the wrong accounts.

     
  7. If successful, you will be sent to the welcome screen for that court. If the filing menu options do not appear, refresh your browser (F5) and/or clear your cookies, cache, and history. 

If unsuccessful, please try again. To reset your password, or obtain your CM/ECF username, contact the IT Helpdesk at (415) 268-2349

Changes to PACER Administrative Accounts

PACER Administrative Account (PAA) holders are affected differently than other account types. If you have a PAA, you need to upgrade your account in order to perform any functions outside of making a payment. 

PAA account holders no longer: 

  • Own the individual user’s account linked to the PAA. Accounts are owned by the individuals and they can take them from one organization to another. 
  • Have access to the user’s account other than usage details. Account updates must be made by the individual account owner. 
  • Create new accounts. 
  • Activate or deactivate accounts. 
  • PACER Administrative Accounts Manual (.pdf)

 

NextGen CMECF Overview

The Electronic Case Files System (CM/ECF and NextGen CM/ECF) are case management systems being implemented in the Federal Judiciary for all bankruptcy, district and appellate courts.

The case management systems allows courts to accept filings and provide access to filed documents over the Internet.

Features:

- 24-hour access to case file documents over the Internet

- Ability to file pleadings electronically with the court

- Automatic email notice of case activity

- Ability to download and print documents directly from the court system

- Concurrent access to case files by multiple parties

- Savings in time and expenditures for attorneys

- Expanded search and reporting capabilities

- Easy to use -- based on Standard Internet browser

- No waiting in line or unavailable files at the courthouse

Benefits:

- Replaces aging electronic docketing and case management systems in all federal courts by 2005

- Is being used enthusiastically by attorneys in pilot courts nationwide

- No delays or added expenses associated with mail or courier services

- Speeds delivery and allows easier tracking of case activity

- Reduces physical storage space needs and document processing times

- Low start-up costs -- uses Internet standard software and established "PDF" format

- Secure and reliable

- Court dockets are immediately updated and available

Please click the link to accesss our case management system (NextGen CM/ECF).

 

NextGen CM/ECF Requirements

Hardware Minimum Requirements

 

Operation speed 100 megahertz

minimum

Memory 256 MB RAM

minimum

1 gigabyte of free hard disk space to be used for storage

minimum

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

ex. Verizon, Comcast,

Internet Connection

Cable modem, DSL, or other.

Scanning or Imaging Device

To be used for scanning of documents that need to be imaged and sent to the court.

Software Requirements

 
   

Operating system that supports a web browser. (compatible systems include Windows, Linux, Macintosh and others).

Web Browser (compatible):

  • Firefox
  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Edge

The following have not been tested with CM/ECF but appear to be compatible:

  • Safari
  • Opera

It is recommended that the tested web browser that has proven compatible with CM/ECF be used.

 
Any PDF compatible windows-based word processor such as recent versions of WordPerfect and Microsoft Word.
Adobe Acrobat - to be used for conversion of scanned documents to Portable Document Format (PDF) and for viewing PDF documents.
The court currently accepts lists of creditors on disk. As such, Anti-Virus software is highly recommended as a precaution, against the possible transmission of corrupt information to the Court.

Note: The Court's IT help desk is available to address questions regarding Hardware and Software requirements. The IT help desk can be reached at (415) 268-2349.

 

How to access NextGen CM/ECF

CM/ECF is the Federal Judiciary's Case Management and Electronic Case Filing System. The system gives authorized users, such as attorneys and creditors, the ability to file electronically with the court.

NextGen CM/ECF has enhanced CM/ECF in that public filers now have a single login and password for e-filing and for PACER access. Eventually all Federal Courts will convert to NextGen CM/ECF.

The requirements for access to NextGen CM/ECF courts are different than for CM/ECF courts. We are a NextGen CM/ECF Court.

To become a filing user with us, obtain a PACER account if you do not already have one.  Register for a new PACER account by using PACER’s Registration Wizard. For an existing PACER account, ensure it is an upgraded account (the login name is more than 6 characters).

If the account is not upgraded, please do so now by following:

For a New User, Submit a Registration Form - A login and password from another Federal Court (Bankruptcy or District) or attendance of ECF training at another court, may deem you eligible to receive a login and password to the Northern District of California Bankruptcy Court without additional training. If neither situation applies, our NextGen CM/ECF Training Modules will need to be completed.

For an Existing CM/ECF User, Link your CM/ECF Account with you PACER Account

  1.  Go to our CM/ECF login at https://ecf.canb.uscourts.gov, click on the link for the

    Northern District of California– Document Filing System (NextGen CM/ECF ver. 1.5.2)

     
  2.  At the login screen, log in with your PACER account credentials.  

     
  3.  Click the “Utilities” menu

     
  4. Click “Link a CM/ECF account to my PACER account”

     
  5. Enter your CM/ECF login and password

     
  6. You will be prompted to confirm the CM/ECF account being linked to the PACER account to ensure you are linking the correct accounts  

When successful, you will be sent to the welcome screen for the court. If the filing menus Bankruptcy and Adversary do not appear, try the following:  

  • Refresh your browser (F5)    
  • Clear your browser cache  (Ctrl+Shift+Delete) or for Safari (⌥Opt+ ⌘Cmd+ E)  
  • Log out, close the browser, open the browser, and log back in.

The Clerk's Office has public access computers available to view case information free of charge.

The NextGen CM/ECF system is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

NextGen Account Linking Instructions

NextGen Linking CM/ECF Account to PACER Instructions

NextGen Linking CM/ECF Account to PACER Instructions
NextGen Account Upgrade Instructions

NextGEN CM/ECF Upgrading Your PACER Account

NextGEN CM/ECF Upgrading Your PACER Account
NextGen CM/ECF Contact Information

 

To contact us with your questions or concerns:

Help Desk Contacts

NextGen CM/ECF: (888) 821-7606

IT Help Desk: (415) 268-2349

Case Management Help Desk: (888) 821-7606

Email Information

For questions or information related to training, please email us at ecf_training@canb.uscourts.gov

For questions or information related to NextGen CM/ECF, please email us at helpdesk@canb.uscourts.gov
 
   
   

 

NextGen CM/ECF FAQs

NextGen CM/ECF FAQs

NextGen CM/ECF FAQs