Local Rule RULE 9011-3: SIGNATURE AND ELECTRONIC FILING

RULE 9011-3 SIGNATURE AND ELECTRONIC FILING

(a) Original Signature and Electronic Filing. Any petition, list, schedule, statement, amendment, pleading, affidavit, or other document that requires an original signature or verification under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1008 or an unsworn declaration, as provided in 28 U.S.C. § 1746, may be filed electronically by a registered electronic filer.

(b) Signature Block. In addition to the requirement under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9011(a) that each paper states the signer's address and telephone number, the attorney's signature block shall include the signer's e-mail address and Northern District of New York attorney bar roll identification number.

(c) Format of Electronic Signature. A pleading or other document electronically filed shall indicate a signature, in the format "/s/name" unless the document has been scanned and shows the actual signature.

(d) Unregistered Attorney's Use of a Registered Attorney's Account is Not Permitted. The name of the attorney displayed on the docket as the electronic filer must match the attorney name signed on the electronically-filed document. Attorneys who are not registered with the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York, and therefore, have not been issued electronic filing privileges are not permitted to electronically file documents using the account of a registered attorney, unless the registered attorney is a co-filer of the document and that status is clearly apparent from the document.

(e) Retention of Original Signature. The document bearing the original signature must be retained by the filer for a minimum of two (2) years after the closing of the case and all time periods for appeals have expired unless the Court orders a different period. In an adversary proceeding, the parties shall maintain the original documents for a minimum of two (2) years after the proceeding is closed and all time periods for appeals have expired unless the Court orders a different period. These retention periods do not affect or replace any other periods required by other applicable laws or rules. Upon request of the Court, the filer must provide the document bearing the original signature for review.

(f) Presentation of Original Petition at § 341 Meeting. Counsel for the debtor shall bring to the § 341 meeting of creditors the original petition bearing the original signature of the debtor.

(g) Electronic Signature on Stipulations or other documents requiring multiple signatures. The following procedure applies when a stipulation or other document requires two or more signatures:

(1) The filer shall obtain the signatures of all parties required to sign the document. For purposes of this Rule an email or facsimile signature is permitted.

(2) The filer shall either (i) scan the document reflecting the actual signatures and upload the same, or (ii) indicate each signature using the format "/s/name."

(3) The filing party originating the document shall maintain the document bearing original signatures as provided for in paragraph (e) above.

(h) Proposed Order Submitted for Signature. Unless otherwise directed by the Court, all proposed orders shall be submitted electronically in accordance with the requirements of the E-Orders program and shall be submitted after the scheduled time of the hearing or trial:

(1) A proposed order shall conform to the following:

(A) There must be a four (4) inch margin (i.e., four inches of white space) at the top of the first page of the proposed order;

(B) The character sequence ### must appear on the last page of the proposed order, centered, and at the end of the text; and

(C) The proposed order shall not contain a signature line, block or date.

(2) DO NOT ELECTRONICALLY FILE A PLEADING THAT CONTAINS A PROPOSED ORDER IN THE BODY OF THE PLEADING.