Local Rule RULE 5005–1: Filing Papers and Sending Copies to the United States Trustee

RULE 5005–1 Filing Papers and Sending Copies to the United States Trustee

(a) Proponent to be Member of Bar. Any attorney offering a petition, pleading, or other document, other than a request for notices under Bankruptcy Rule 2002(g), for filing on behalf of a client shall: (1) be a member of or have a pending application for admission to the Bar of this Court; (2) have complied with Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090–1(b); (3) can appear pursuant to Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090–1(d) as attorneys employed by Federal, State, or Local governments; or (4) can appear pursuant to Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090–1(e) as attorneys representing indigent parties.

(b) Pro se Parties. A party without legal representation (a pro se party) shall file all pleadings and other papers in hard copy and not electronically, unless specifically authorized by the Court. All documents, including attachments and exhibits, shall be filed on letter size paper (8 ½ by 11 inches) with no less than 1-inch margins on all sides, be plainly and legibly typewritten, printed, or reproduced, be on one side of the paper only, and contain the pro se party's name, address, telephone number, and email address. Documents not filed in compliance with this Local Bankruptcy Rule may result in a deficiency notice to the pro se filer and be struck from the Court's docket if not timely cured.

(c) Attorney Identifiers. On the first page of all pleadings filed in cases in this Court, if the filing is made by a represented party, the attorney representing the party shall include (in either the footer or header of the first page) their name, bar number, office address, email address, telephone number, and whom the attorney represents. If an entity is represented by an attorney, any paper signed by the attorney must include the name, office address, email address, and telephone number of the attorney. For each attorney listed on the paper as representing the entity, the attorney's D.C. Bar identification number must be listed if the attorney is a member of the D.C. Bar regardless of whether the attorney signs the paper.

(d) Filing Documents Under Seal. A motion to seal and/or a sealed document may be filed with the Court as: (1) an unsealed motion and a sealed document; or (2) a sealed motion accompanied by the sealed document; or (3) a sealed document being filed pursuant to a prior Court order authorizing the document to be filed as sealed.

(4) If filed in hard copy, a copy of the order authorizing sealing must also accompany the sealed document (unless the authorizing order is sealed). Paper filings of sealed materials shall be made in the Clerk's Office during the business hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time daily except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Sealed materials shall not be filed using the drop box at the Third Street entrance to the Courthouse.

(e) After Hours Filing Using Drop Box. Unless the document is being filed under seal (or seeks to be filed under seal), a document that is authorized to be filed in paper form may be filed when the Clerk's Office is closed by using the Bankruptcy Court's drop box at the Third Street entrance to the Courthouse (which entrance is open twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week), subject to the following provisions: (1) the document shall be time-stamped using the Bankruptcy Court's time-stamp machine that is next to the drop box; (2) the document shall be deposited in the overnight drop box in accordance with the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court's instructions posted on the front of the drop box; (3) the document shall be presumed filed as of the date and time-stamped on document (and the Clerk shall include a copy of that page showing a date and time-stamp as part of the document as filed electronically in the Electronic Case Filing system); (4) in the absence of a date and timestamp on the document pursuant to paragraph (1) above, the document shall be treated as filed when the Clerk retrieves the document from the overnight drop box and marks the document as filed; and (5) any document filed with a date and timestamp indicating a date and time when the Clerk's Office was open shall be treated under paragraph 4 herein as if it did not have a date and timestamp.

(f) Place of Filing. Unless otherwise directed by the Court, all papers to be filed or received conventionally by the Court shall be delivered to the Clerk's Office, and not to the judge's chambers.