Electronic Filing Becomes Mandatory in Northern District of Georgia

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is moving to mandatory electronic filing. Lawyers practicing in that court had to apply for logins and passwords by 1/1/05, and electronic filing will be require as of 7/15/05. Lawyers practicing in federal court — and their key support personnel — must become familiar with the rules governing electronic filing. A Standing Order provides for protection of confidential information in documents filed online and available online.
While federal courts can be a tremendous bureaucratic nightmare for lawyers, particularly those of us in small firm settings accustomed to state court practice, we love electronic filing.
We have been doing electronic filing in our federal cases for several months, and after some period of adjustment have been delighted with it. Electronic filing spares us the stress and expense of sending couriers dashing to the federal courthouse in afternoon traffic, desperately trying to beat a deadline. When we file a brief electronically, opposing counsel is automatically served via email through the court’s system. We have taken every opportunity to tell state trial and appellate judges of the advantages of electronic filing, hoping that they will follow the federal court’s example in this one regard.

Ken Shigley represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases statewide in Georgia, and in other states subject to the multijurisdictional practice and pro hac vice rules in each state. Ken Shigley was designated as a “Super Lawyer” in Atlanta Magazine and one of the “Legal Elite” in Georgia Trend Magazine. He is President-Elect of the State Bar of Georgia (2011-12), a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Chair of the Southeastern Motor Carrier Liability Institute and former chair of the Georgia Insurance Law Institute. He particularly focuses on cases arising from truck wrecks and accidents (tractor trailers truck wrecks, semi truck wrecks,18 wheeler truck wrecks, big rig truck wrecks, log truck wrecks, dump truck wrecks). He and Sally have been married since 1983, and are the proud parnts of two young adults, Anne Shigley and Ken Shigley, Jr.