Cost of Pacer? Do I need it?

[keepinitreal]

If an account does not accrue $10 worth of usage between January 1st and December 31st each year, all balances will be deleted from PACER's records. Since there are only a couple of weeks left in December, you could start using PACER now and end up not being charged for 2009.

[maxwell18]

Pacer Info

What is Pacer and how do get into. I tried to open it up and cannot. Can you see other chap 13 in process or finished?
Thanks

[browneyes]

Pacer usage

I know we know about PACER, but it is public record, right? Anyone can look up anyone else's info to snoop or investigate?

When I logged in I found it said it was for "court business only" and that all activity was logged.
At the bottom of the page it reads "Welcome to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of XXXX Electronic Document Filing System. This service is for attorneys and firms participating in the electronic filing system." It kind of scared me. I wanted to try to find other cases to see if I could find someone in a similar situation as me and how everything sugared off with their case. I wouldn't think one district is off limits and yet another is for the public's use.

[justbroke]

The reason the "PACER" system has all those disclaimers, is because it is ACTUALLY the Court's Docket Management System known as CM/ECF (Case Management / Electronic Case File). Many people, such as attorneys, have actual docket access and can docket papers and even schedule hearings through PACER (CM/ECF).

I think that's the confusion. Most people don't understand that PACER and CM/ECF are the same system.

[bakergrl]

Sorry, I have a few questions.....

Does pacer always tell you how much your search cost each time? I went on a page and it says the cost was $.08, so that is the actual charge?

Also after the 341 is there a way to look up if there has been any new objections by creditors?

Where will it say discharged/closed?

Thanks!!

[justbroke]

For searches, PACER never tells you in advance how much it will cost. In oder to pull a document... it does tell you how much it will cost.

[ROB37LAW]

What is Pacer and how do get into. I tried to open it up and cannot. Can you see other chap 13 in process or finished?
Thanks

I think having access to PACER is a must. It's a way for you to make sure your attorney is properly filing your documents and that everything is correct. I had my attorney fix many errors that I found from checking PACER myself. Had I not had access to PACER, my case probably would have been dismissed. Monitor PACER frequently.

[trigabyte1]

I think having access to PACER is a must. It's a way for you to make sure your attorney is properly filing your documents and that everything is correct. I had my attorney fix many errors that I found from checking PACER myself. Had I not had access to PACER, my case probably would have been dismissed. Monitor PACER frequently.

Couldn't agree more. Although, if you're like me and filing pro se and researching all of your TT's previous cases, be prepared for a big bill. Too bad I can't add PACER to my matrix!!!

[Wantmypeace]

I'd like to search the attorneys I'm considering and see how they've handled above median income Ch.7's, how many were discharged, and how many were dismissed. Am I looking at a hefty bill (in the hundreds) to be able to do this?

[HHM]

I'd like to search the attorneys I'm considering and see how they've handled above median income Ch.7's, how many were discharged, and how many were dismissed. Am I looking at a hefty bill (in the hundreds) to be able to do this?

Yes you would, unfortunately, what you are considering is not actually that helpful. The fact is, most cases discharge, so that is not the issue. And at the end of the day, you will spend hours upon hours pouring over the information and really not come out any better informed about the attorney, trust me, its not worth it. Plus, you will have no way of easily sorting out who is above median or not without going into each case and pulling the petition (which can be 40-50 pages). So for each case you need to access to view the petition, you are looking at an average charge of $3.20, and there will to dozens, if not hundreds of cases that will pop-up when you search by attorney. Not to mention the huge charge you will get when you do an "attorney search". Just because you get a long list, doesn't mean it is charged as only "one" page.

[ccsjoe]

I'd like to search the attorneys I'm considering and see how they've handled above median income Ch.7's, how many were discharged, and how many were dismissed. Am I looking at a hefty bill (in the hundreds) to be able to do this?

If all you really want is to find a list of attorneys may I suggest you go to your local district court's website, pull up the calendar and look at the 341 lists. These will show 341 dates, times, client names and ATTORNEY names. Choose to interview the ones that are regularly engaged in this. If you see them too many times, it might be a mill, if you see them only a couple, might not be their main area of expertise. But at least this way you will find attorneys for free!

[justbroke]

I have never wanted to research my Trustee(s) or any attorney. I did end up pulling a bunch of stuff from one particular attorney, but that was just coincidence. It's best just to look at the calendar and see what looks interesting, and then pull certain components.

You don't need "research" unless you need research.

[FishersMike]

Update on Fees:

On March 16, 2010, the Judicial Conference of the United States approved an adjustment to the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule so that users are not billed unless they accrue charges of more than $10 of PACER usage in a quarterly billing cycle, in effect quadrupling the amount of data available without charge. Previously, users were not billed until their accounts total at least $10 in a one-year period.

So.... if you stay under $10.00 a quarter it is free -- better than having to stay under $10.00 a year to not pay a dime!

Also:

The Judicial Conference, at its September 2003 session, amended the language of Section I of the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule for the appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (adopted by the Judicial Conference pursuant to sections 1913, 1914, 1926, 1930, and 1932 of title 28, United States Code). The previous schedule placed a cap on the per page charge for Internet access to data obtained electronically from the public records of individual cases in the courts, with a maximum $2.40, the equivalent of 30 pages, for electronic access to any single document. The amendment extends this cap to all case documents, including docket sheets and case-specific reports. The cap does not apply to name searches, reports that are not case-specific and transcripts of federal court proceedings. The cap will apply to all PACER, RACER, or CM/ECF sites. For example: previously, a 50 page document cost $4.00 at $0.08 a page. This same document now only costs $2.40. Users will receive the entire 50 page document but only be charged $2.40. Each attachment in CM/ECF sites is considered a separate document. Therefore, the cap will apply to each attachment over 30 pages separately

So most you should have to pay at one time is $2.40 if you are searching by your case #. I guess it is not recommended you search by even your own name or CAP would not apply.

[lotsahats]

I generally caution against the use of PACER. It is TOO easy to become OCD (obsessive compulsive) with it. Also, what counts as a page for PACER is simply not intuitive. The .08 per page does not simply refer to down loading documents, it is every query result and the length of that query result; basically, anytime you click ANYTHING on PACER, that is at least .08.

It's like the situation with the 341 meeting, as much as you tell someone that it is a simple, short meeting, and nothing to worry about; nearly everyone freaks out about it. As much as you don't think you will be "That" person when it comes to PACER (checking every hour for updates etc), you probably will be.

That's a good point, because I know I would be obsessively checking. Note to self: Steer clear of PACER.

[hhwwe2]

not neccessary but i liked watching it