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ECF Registration

How to Request an Electronic Case Filing (ECF) Account

NOTE: Duplicate accounts are not authorized. If you have an existing account but have forgotten your password, please contact PACER for assistance. We cannot assist with establishing PACER accounts. However, if you do not receive a return email from PACER either confirming your account or requesting additional information, please call us at (334) 954-3800 for assistance. Please see our webpage for additional information on linking your existing PACER and CM/ECF accounts.

In accordance with local rule 5005-1, all attorneys filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Alabama must file electronically. If you do not already have access to file with our court, please request access through PACER. PACER has information on how to create a PACER account and how to gain access to a specific court’s ECF system.

By requesting an account, all filers agree to the following terms:

  1. My login and password constitute my signature. [See Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9011.] Signatures will be indicated by /s/ and the typed name and signature block of the person signing.
  2. I will not knowingly permit my PACER login to be used by any unauthorized person. I will contact the PACER Service Center and the clerk’s office at (334) 954-3800 to report any suspected compromise of my PACER password.
  3. I will notify the clerk’s office by email at ecfregistration@almb.uscourts.gov or by phone at (334) 954-3800 if my account is no longer necessary.
  4. I agree to pay all fees incurred by the use of my account. I understand all payments are processed through PACER and not directly through ECF.
  5. Pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7005, I agree to receive service of documents and docket activity electronically where service is otherwise permitted by first class mail.
  6. I understand I must file my documents in a format directed by the court. Additionally, I understand I must comply with the redaction requirements of Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037.
  7. I have read and will comply with all local rules.

1. Attorneys admitted or who will be permitted to practice in the state of Alabama and in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama* may request ECF access as an attorney through PACER.

2. Pro hac vice attorneys** must have an order granting their admission pro hac vice before they will be given an account. Request access to our ECF system through PACER after the motion pro hac vice is granted. ECF access to pro hac vice attorneys is limited to the case in which the motion was granted. By requesting an account, you acknowledge you must limit your ECF activity in our court to the case for which your admission pro hac was granted.

3. Individuals hired for professional services should request access to our ECF system through PACER. This type of account is available only for those attorneys or other professionals who are hired for professional services not directly related to a bankruptcy case, i.e. representing a debtor in a tort case. If an attorney is hired for a professional service and will be representing a client before the bankruptcy court, either the attorney application or pro hac vice procedures must be followed.

Attorneys applying for this type of access to our ECF system expressly acknowledge they understand that the use of a professional services account is limited to filing only in those cases where they are employed for professional services and that their access is not to be used for any other purpose. Any use beyond this may result in the account being locked by the clerk's office.

To expedite your request, please submit an email to ecfregistration@almb.uscourts.gov informing the court you are requesting a professional services account. Please include your name and email address so we can more easlily locate your account request.

4. Limited Filings: To file claims actions as a creditor or the appointed representative, please request access through PACER selecting a creditor account. By requesting an account, you acknowledge you understand that the use of a creditor account is limited to filing creditor related activities and is not to be used for any other purpose. Any use beyond this purpose may result in your account being locked by the clerk's office.

5. Filing Agent Accounts: Filing agent account are for the staff paralegals and other filers employed by attorneys and trustees.  If you work for a creditor, you must register for an individual account as a creditor and not as a filing agent.

ECF Training: On-line, computer-based training is available at PACER. Additionally, formal classroom training is available in the clerk's office by appointment. To schedule training at the court, please call 334-954-3800 and ask to speak with the IT systems manager.

*How do I get admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama?

**Special Instructions for Admissions Pro Hac Vice:

  • Motions pro hac vice must be accompanied by the $75.00 filing fee and a certificate of good standing from the United States district court where the attorney normally practices.
  • The motions may generally be submitted to our court two ways:
          - by having local counsel use our ECF system to pay the fee and submit the motion and certificate of good standing
          - by mailing the motion, certificate of good standing, and a check for the fee to this address:

Clerk's Office
U.S. Bankruptcy Court
One Church Street
Montgomery, Alabama  36104