Wage Law

Starting January 1, 2008, every attorney who files a new civil case in the Central District of California, or who is counsel of record on existing civil cases in the Central District of California, will be required to register for and use the new e-filing system under the court's CM/ECF program. The system is quite similar to the CM/ECF systems already in use in the Northern District, Eastern District and Southern District, but training is mandatory even if you understand the other systems. Sanctions will be issued for counsel who delay training and registration (some departments will probably be more likely than others to issue sanctions).

There are two ways to train: (i) online computer-based training, which isn't recommended for attorneys who are unfamiliar with CM/ECF filing; and (ii) live training at the courthouse. The live training will explain the process in painstaking detail (including how to right-click on files, how to sort folders by file size and other simple computer tasks), which is great for the tech have-nots, but if you understand computers and use technology on a regular basis, you might find it a bit tedious, as we did. On the bright side, the live training also gives you three MCLE hours, and it's free, so if you are in the upcoming MCLE compliance group and you need a few hours, give it a go.

As the live date approaches, the training sessions will fill up, but even if the session you want to attend is full, show up and see if you can take one of the many no-show seats. They will usually be able to accommodate several walk-ups.

For further details, check out the court's CM/ECF home page at
http://support.cacd.uscourts.gov/