Yesterday the Third Circuit went live with NextGen CM/ECF, the updated interface for online filing. As luck would have it, I had a brief and appendix due yesterday, so I got to take it for a spin on day one. I confess I was anxious about that, but I’m pleased to report that it worked flawlessly and was dramatically easier to use than the old interface.

I haven’t dug into the subject, but a couple advantages jumped out:

• I was able to file my 57 MB, 174 page appendix volume without having to break it into smaller files
• I was able to file my sealed appendix volume electronically
• I was able to use my usual browser, Firefox, instead of Explorer
• no more maddening hunting through menus trying to find the right document category, now you just type in the category and it comes up.

Goodbye, interface circa 2001!

I also was pleasantly surprised that the last step for setting up a NextGen account was painless. Everyone should have gotten an email that gave these steps:

1.  Make sure that you are logged out of PACER completely and close your browser.
2.  Open your browser and go to PACER’s Court List https://www.pacer.gov/psco/cgi-bin/links.pl, then select Third Circuit – NextGen.
3.  Click the CM/ECF Document Filing System link.  At the login screen, log in with your upgraded PACER account credentials.
4.  Click Link my filer account to my PACER account.
5.  Enter your existing Third Circuit CM/ECF login and password to link your accounts.
6.  Review and confirm linking the accounts.

Hurrah to the Court for bringing NextGen to our circuit, I expect it will make life a little easier for all of us.