In re General Order 03-01

ORDER ESTABLISHING DEADLINES FOR ATTORNEYS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTRONIC CASE FILING SYSTEM

This court implemented the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing system on October 1, 2001. Attorney participation in the Electronic Case Filing ("ECF") portion of the system has, to this point, been voluntary. However, this year the court is facing substantial budget cuts and the potential loss of staff, requiring it to become more efficient. To promote greater efficiency in the administration of bankruptcy cases in this district, all attorneys appearing before this court (with a few exceptions, as listed below) will be required to participate in the ECF system. Therefore,

IT IS ORDERED that the following timeline for attorneys to become certified as ECF users has been established:

1. All attorneys representing bankruptcy trustees in this District, except for attorneys who are appearing as special counsel for the trustee and do not otherwise appear before this court, must be certified as ECF users and file all papers and pleadings electronically using the ECF system by no later than October 1, 2003.

2. All other attorneys who file documents in this court, whether on behalf of a debtor, a creditor or some other interested party, must be certified as ECF users and file all papers and pleadings electronically using the ECF system by no later than MARCH 1, 2004.

3. Exceptions to the above deadlines will be made in the following instances:

a. For attorneys in outlying areas of the state who do not have access to high speed modems at a reasonable cost will be exempt from mandatory ECF participation, but only until such time that the region of the state in which they are practicing does acquire high speed modem or cable interact capabilities. For attorneys in such outlying area, an affidavit regarding the cost and availability of interact access in their area must be filed in order for this exemption to apply.

b. Other attorneys subject tot he deadlines stated in paragraphs 1 and 2 above may be excused from mandatory ECF participation only on motion to the court, and for good cause shown.

4. Pro se debtors and creditors in this District will not be required, at this time, to file documents via the ECF system. Such pro se filers will continue to file paper documents over the counter at the Clerk's Offices in Anchorage and the satellite Clerk's Offices which may remain open in the other areas of Alaska.

5. Institutional creditors (e.g., banks and credit unions) who are currently certified ECF users in other districts, or who become certified ECF users by this court, may, after JUNE 1, 2003, file proofs of claim and other documents via the ECF system.