In March 2001, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts began a nationwide replacement of existing court docketing systems with the implementation of the Case Management / Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) Project. Conversion to CM/ECF is now underway in over 100 federal courts around the country and is operational in over 50 bankruptcy courts.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii has been live on CM/ECF since June 9, 2003. We are using CM/ECF for general docketing and case administration and have begun allowing trained and registered attorneys to file documents electronically. CM/ECF permits users to file new cases and other pleadings securely via the Internet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Eventually, the court may allow certain non-attorneys, such as large claims filing businesses, to have access to CM/ECF for filing and transferring claims and other documents which are often filed in volume.

The court encourages attorneys and paralegal staff to plan well for electronic filing. Decisions need to be made concerning hardware and software requirements, Internet access, and office work flow. The court assists with the transition by providing classroom training and online tutorials to attorneys and their staff, and by providing information through this web page. These tools allow the future user to become familiar with electronic filing procedures. Questions and comments may be sent to the court at ecf@hib.uscourts.gov.