Local Rule L.R. 9011: Signatures.

L.R. 9011 - Signatures. A. General. All documents filed by a party that is not represented by an attorney and is not able to file electronically must contain the original signature of the party where appropriate. Every pleading or document, except for Official Forms or accompanying Director's Forms, that are filed must include the following information, as relevant, for the party filing the document: the law firm name, attorney's or debtor's name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and registration number for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Documents filed via the Court's CM/ECF system must include the filer's typed signature or scanned image of the filer's handwritten signature. Electronically filed proofs of claim, other than proofs of claim filed pursuant to L.R. 9011(D), and post-petition financial management course completion certificates must contain the signer's typed 'signature' on the signature line unless the document has been scanned and contains an image of the signer's handwritten signature. A party appearing pro se (without an attorney) may not sign a document on behalf of another party except as set forth in L.R. 9011(B). Nothing in this rule should be construed as excusing any party from providing any of the information or signatures required by the Official Forms or accompanying Director's Forms.

B. Filing in Representative Capacity. Any document filed in a legal representative capacity for another must have attached to it the document providing signature authority unless such document has previously been filed with the Court. Later filings under the authority of such document must reference the initial pleading or document to which the authorization was attached. This subsection does not apply to members of the same law firm or to attorneys signing pleadings for their clients or for another party's attorney by permission.

C. Signature of Person Other than Filer. The filing or submission by an attorney of a petition, list, schedule, statement, amendment, verified pleading, affidavit, stipulation, document requiring verification under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1008, or unsworn declaration under 28 U.S.C. § 1746 that has been prepared for use in a case or an adversary proceeding and has been signed by a person other than the filer is the filer's representation that the person has, in fact, signed the document. For purposes of this rule, another person has signed a document if the filer has: 1. presented or transmitted the entire document to the signatory for review and signature; 2. if the signatory is the client of the filer, verified with the client that they have received and reviewed the entire document, and communicated with the client regarding the substance and purpose of the document; and 3. either: a. obtained the person's original ("wet-ink") signature on the document; b. obtained the person's digital signature via commercially available digital signature software that provides signature authentication; c. obtained electronically (including by electronic mail or facsimile transmission) from the signatory an image format or other facsimile of the entire signed document, including the signature page; or d. if the document is a stipulation, a consent order, or another document signed by another attorney admitted to practice in this district, obtained express written consent (including by electronic mail) to affix the attorney's signature to the document. These requirements do not apply to the extent that either a signature on an affidavit has been notarized by a notary public or the document has been prepared and executed without the involvement of the filer or any member, regular associate, or employee of the filer's law firm; provided, however, that these exceptions do not excuse the filer's compliance with Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9011.

D. Filing of Signed Documents. A document signed by a person other than the filer must be filed electronically in one of the following formats: 1. a scanned copy of the document, showing the handwritten signature(s); 2. the version of the document produced by digital signature software after all parties have signed; or 3. a conformed copy of the document that includes the name of each signatory preceded by "/s/" or "s/" typed in the space where the signature would otherwise appear.

E. Retention. The person filing or submitting any document described in L.R. 9011(C) must retain the original signed document or the alternative evidence of signature described in L.R. 9011(C) for a period of two (2) years after the closing of the case or adversary proceeding unless the Court orders a different period. Proofs of claim that have been created and filed through the Court's Electronic Proof of Claim system pursuant to L.R. 9011(F) are exempt from this retention requirement. On request of the Court, or any party in interest, or when the signature is at issue, the filer must provide the original signed document or the alternative evidence of a signature for review.

F. Electronic Proof of Claim System ("ePOC"). The filing of a proof of claim and/or the filing of a claims-related document using the Court's ePOC system will constitute the filing claimant's approved signature by law, and the provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 152 apply to such filing.