What is the Filings Section? Filings Section FAQ

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The Filings section is where you will upload the documents saved on your computer/device that you intend on sending to the court through the eFile website. Boxes or fields outlined in RED are required. After you fill in all required fields in a section, the red boxes will disappear, and a blue Save Changes button will appear on the lower right corner of the screen. Scroll down to read about each field within the Filings section.

Note: Some fields in this article will not appear on your screen because it was not desired or requested by the court you are filing into.

What is a Filing Type?
There are three types of filings: EFile, EFile and Serve, and Serve.

• EFile will only send your filings to the court. It will not serve your filings on the other parties on the case. You would have to serve the parties on your own.
• EFileandServe will send your filings to the court and also serve them electronically on any service contacts you select in the Service Contacts section.
• Serve will not send your documents to the court but will serve them electronically on any service contacts you select in the Service Contacts section.

What is a Filing code?

The filing code is the specific type of filing that you are sending to the court. (Example: complaint, motion, memorandum, affidavit, etc.) If you have multiple documents to file, you should add the main document first, which is typically a complaint, answer, motion, etc.

Choose the filing code that most closely matches the document you want to upload. If you are submitting a form, the name or title of the form may help you choose the right filing code.

TIP: If you start typing a word into the field (for example, motion), the list will show you all the options that include that word. Click here for more details about the filing code.

Please note: If you need help selecting filing codes, please contact the court that you are sending your filings to.

What is a Filing Description?
The Filing Description field allows you to describe the lead document that you are filing.

What is the Client Reference Number?
The Client Reference Number is to help attorneys associate filings with internal firm records. For example, you can enter your client's name or account number, or the purpose of the filing to help you reconcile your filings with your firm records. Client Reference Number is often used to help you distinguish between your e-filings.

Note: Client Reference Number does not need to be a number.

What should I put in the Comments to the Court section?

This section can be used to add any comments you need to make to the court reviewer directly. The comments should be information that is not already included in your documents. This section has no character limit, so filers should have plenty of space to type whatever they need to.

What are Courtesy Copies?

Courtesy Copies are an extra email notifying the entered email address that something has been accepted by the court. The user submitting automatically gets an 'Accepted' notification email. These are added to a submission by typing in an email address in the designated field. If multiple courtesy copies are needed, separate each email with a comma. Courtesy Copies are NOT formal service to other parties and do not provide proper notice. They are typically sent out after a filing is accepted by the court.

• NOTE: Courtesy Copies are an option configured by each state's court system. States may change this option at any moment.

What are Preliminary Copies?

Preliminary Copies are an extra email notifying the entered email address that a filing has been sent to the court. The user submitting automatically gets an 'Accepted' notification email. These are added to a submission by typing in an email address in the designated field. If multiple courtesy copies are needed, separate each email with a comma. Preliminary Copies are NOT formal service to other parties and do not provide proper notice. They are typically sent out before a filing is accepted by the court.

• NOTE: Preliminary Copies are an option configured by each state's court system. States may change this option at any moment.

What is Filing on Behalf Of?

This is a dropdown menu where you can select the party (or parties) you are filing for.
This may be an optional or required field, depending on the court location's configuration.

What is a Lead Document?

The Lead Document is the main document you are adding to a filing, and it is required. Here you upload a document from your computer. The document must be saved as a PDF file to upload successfully.

What are Attachments?

Some courts allow you to upload more than one document as a single filing using a lead document and attachment documents. For more information about lead and attachment documents, read this article.

Do NOT make each page of a document into its own PDF. A document you file should be one PDF. If you are submitting multiple documents (for example, a complaint and an application for a fee waiver), you should upload the documents separately and pick a filing code to go with each document.

Some courts allow you to upload more than one document as a single filing using a lead document and attachment documents. For more information about lead and attachment documents, read this article.

 

In general, do NOT submit multiple separate documents as one combined PDF unless:

• There is no filing code that matches the document you need to upload, and the court you are sending your filings to does NOT allow attachment documents.

Then you may need to merge your supporting document with your lead document into one PDF file to send it to the court. Check your court's rules or contact the court if you think you need to merge multiple documents into one PDF to file. For more information about submitting more than one document at a time, read this article.

 

Please Note: If there is no option to add an attachment, this is because the court you are filing into does not allow attachments. You will have to add your attachment as another filing.

 

What is a Document Description?
The Document Description field allows you to describe the specific document that you are filing.

What is Security?
If this field is visible, you can select a type of security to, for example, tell the court if the document contains sensitive or confidential information.

What are Optional Services?
Some courts (such as Oregon) charge filing fees through the Optional Services field. You must select the appropriate fee for the type of case and filing you are sending to the court. If you do not, your filing may be rejected by the court for not paying the required fees.

Most courts use optional services for additional optional fees that you can choose to add on to your filing. Some examples are service by a sheriff or constable, certified copies, or issuance of citations. If you need to add any optional services, click the Add Optional Services and Fees button in the bottom right of the Filings section.

Click the Save Changes button after you complete all the required fields in the section.

If you need to add more documents to your Filings section, click here to learn how.

To learn about the next section in the filing process, Service Contacts, click here.

You can also jump the Fees section by clicking here.