Rule 3-1 Contact Information to Be Provided

(a) Contact Information Requirement. In any case pending in the court, all attorneys representing a party, and all self-represented parties, must provide a current telephone number, mailing address, and e-mail address, if any, for use in serving orders upon any party, or making contact with them, in connection with pending litigation. This information shall appear under the signature line for all motions, pleadings, notices, or other documents filed with the court by any attorney or self-represented party.

(b) Change of Contact Information. Any attorney or self-represented party whose telephone number, mailing address, or e-mail address on file with the court changes shall immediately file a notice containing the updated information with the clerk of the court, and serve copies of said notice on all attorneys and self-represented parties who have appeared in the pertinent case.

(c) Case Information and Litigant Data Form. In addition to complying with the contact information obligations of subparts (a) and (b) of this rule:

(1) The plaintiff, or the plaintiff's attorney, shall file a completed Case Information and Litigant Data Form with the clerk of the court at the time of filing a complaint to commence the action.

(2) A defendant, intervenor, or other party, or the attorney therefor, shall file a completed Case Information and Litigant Data Form with the clerk of the court at the time of first filing of a notice of appearance, answer, or other initial pleading or motion.

(3) If the contact information contained on the Case Information and Litigant Data Form changes for any party or attorney, that party or attorney shall comply with the change of address procedures set forth in subparts (a) and (b) of this rule.

(4) A self-represented party is personally responsible for complying with the change of address procedures set forth in subparts (a) and (b) of this rule.

(5) Represented parties are responsible for advising their attorneys of any change of contact information, and their counsel are responsible for complying with the change of address procedures set forth in subparts (a) and (b) of this rule.

REPORTER’S NOTE: This Rule is intended to make a clear statement of the obligation for each attorney representing a party — and each self-represented party — to provide accurate contact information, and to keep that information current and updates with any changes that occur during the pendency of the action. The Advisory Committee considered whether a generalized cross-reference to various annual required filings for attorneys could substitute for case-specific data form information, and concluded that judges and litigants benefit from having a current data form in each pending case, readily available during the proceedings in that matter when the need arises. Subpart (b) of this Rule states the general obligation promptly to update the contact data when the information changes. Subpart (c) is broken into separate paragraphs to emphasize that each party brought into the case must provide the contact information, and then must update it as changes occur. It also stresses that a self-represented party has the same obligations to provide and update contact information as the case progresses.