Cost of Pacer? Do I need it?

[SadPanda]

That's what I did too - since just doing the Query to get to my case page was free, I just looked at the "date of last filing." If it hadn't changed since the last time I looked, I knew there was nothing new to see, so I didn't need to click anything and it didn't cost anything. I saved everything I could (petition, mailing matrix, etc.) to my computer, so that if I wanted to view it again later, it wouldn't cost any money. If I couldn't save the page as a PDF or .htm file, I just copied and pasted everything on the page(s) into Word and saved the file.

I also checked "review billing history" periodically, so I would know how much my total was so far, and whether I was close to the $15 limit. Sometimes, fees for pages I viewed weren't added to my billing history until the following day. The quarter ended September 30, and I received an email a few days ago from PACER that said, "Usage for this account was less than $15 for this quarterly billing cycle. In accordance with the Electronic Public Access fee schedule, the fees for this quarter have been waived." My "billing history" total went back to $0.00 after the new quarter started October 1.

[DaisysMom]

SadPanda that's true about not going over $15.00. I filed a Chapter 7, and checked it's status on Pacer every few days. Going to the query page is free and there you can check to see if the date of any new filings has changed. If the date hasn't changed then there is noting new to look at. I went through the entire BK process...fully informed and never went over the $15.00 quarterly amount so I never had to pay for any pacer services.

The trick is to learn to be patient and not use it unless their is a real concern or you need some of the info that is available there. I had to learn that once my BK was filed, there are many days, even weeks when nothing was being filed or changed and there was no sense in adding up pacer fees for nothing. If the query page shows nothing has changed (by the date of last activity changing) then just close it and relax.

DM

[SadPanda]

Even though I just filed, PACER has already come in handy for me - I didn't have a copy of my petition and I was able to save it as a PDF to my computer. I ended up finding a few things that were missing from my petition that I hadn't realized when I looked it over before signing it. They're not huge issues, but I'm glad I caught them, since I'm pretty sure my petition will have to be amended.

However, I can see how some people could end up using PACER too much and spend more than they realized.

The price went up earlier this year. It's now $0.10 a page and if you don't go over $15.00 in a quarter, the fees are waived for that quarter. I'm pretty sure the current quarter ends September 30.

[MarkHenry]

Thanks for the information.

[botsal]

.

[hhwwe2]

not neccessary but i liked watching it

[lotsahats]

I generally caution against the use of PACER. It is TOO easy to become OCD (obsessive compulsive) with it. Also, what counts as a page for PACER is simply not intuitive. The .08 per page does not simply refer to down loading documents, it is every query result and the length of that query result; basically, anytime you click ANYTHING on PACER, that is at least .08.

It's like the situation with the 341 meeting, as much as you tell someone that it is a simple, short meeting, and nothing to worry about; nearly everyone freaks out about it. As much as you don't think you will be "That" person when it comes to PACER (checking every hour for updates etc), you probably will be.

That's a good point, because I know I would be obsessively checking. Note to self: Steer clear of PACER.

[FishersMike]

Update on Fees:

On March 16, 2010, the Judicial Conference of the United States approved an adjustment to the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule so that users are not billed unless they accrue charges of more than $10 of PACER usage in a quarterly billing cycle, in effect quadrupling the amount of data available without charge. Previously, users were not billed until their accounts total at least $10 in a one-year period.

So.... if you stay under $10.00 a quarter it is free -- better than having to stay under $10.00 a year to not pay a dime!

Also:

The Judicial Conference, at its September 2003 session, amended the language of Section I of the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule for the appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (adopted by the Judicial Conference pursuant to sections 1913, 1914, 1926, 1930, and 1932 of title 28, United States Code). The previous schedule placed a cap on the per page charge for Internet access to data obtained electronically from the public records of individual cases in the courts, with a maximum $2.40, the equivalent of 30 pages, for electronic access to any single document. The amendment extends this cap to all case documents, including docket sheets and case-specific reports. The cap does not apply to name searches, reports that are not case-specific and transcripts of federal court proceedings. The cap will apply to all PACER, RACER, or CM/ECF sites. For example: previously, a 50 page document cost $4.00 at $0.08 a page. This same document now only costs $2.40. Users will receive the entire 50 page document but only be charged $2.40. Each attachment in CM/ECF sites is considered a separate document. Therefore, the cap will apply to each attachment over 30 pages separately

So most you should have to pay at one time is $2.40 if you are searching by your case #. I guess it is not recommended you search by even your own name or CAP would not apply.

[justbroke]

I have never wanted to research my Trustee(s) or any attorney. I did end up pulling a bunch of stuff from one particular attorney, but that was just coincidence. It's best just to look at the calendar and see what looks interesting, and then pull certain components.

You don't need "research" unless you need research.

[ccsjoe]

I'd like to search the attorneys I'm considering and see how they've handled above median income Ch.7's, how many were discharged, and how many were dismissed. Am I looking at a hefty bill (in the hundreds) to be able to do this?

If all you really want is to find a list of attorneys may I suggest you go to your local district court's website, pull up the calendar and look at the 341 lists. These will show 341 dates, times, client names and ATTORNEY names. Choose to interview the ones that are regularly engaged in this. If you see them too many times, it might be a mill, if you see them only a couple, might not be their main area of expertise. But at least this way you will find attorneys for free!

[HHM]

I'd like to search the attorneys I'm considering and see how they've handled above median income Ch.7's, how many were discharged, and how many were dismissed. Am I looking at a hefty bill (in the hundreds) to be able to do this?

Yes you would, unfortunately, what you are considering is not actually that helpful. The fact is, most cases discharge, so that is not the issue. And at the end of the day, you will spend hours upon hours pouring over the information and really not come out any better informed about the attorney, trust me, its not worth it. Plus, you will have no way of easily sorting out who is above median or not without going into each case and pulling the petition (which can be 40-50 pages). So for each case you need to access to view the petition, you are looking at an average charge of $3.20, and there will to dozens, if not hundreds of cases that will pop-up when you search by attorney. Not to mention the huge charge you will get when you do an "attorney search". Just because you get a long list, doesn't mean it is charged as only "one" page.

[Wantmypeace]

I'd like to search the attorneys I'm considering and see how they've handled above median income Ch.7's, how many were discharged, and how many were dismissed. Am I looking at a hefty bill (in the hundreds) to be able to do this?

[trigabyte1]

I think having access to PACER is a must. It's a way for you to make sure your attorney is properly filing your documents and that everything is correct. I had my attorney fix many errors that I found from checking PACER myself. Had I not had access to PACER, my case probably would have been dismissed. Monitor PACER frequently.

Couldn't agree more. Although, if you're like me and filing pro se and researching all of your TT's previous cases, be prepared for a big bill. Too bad I can't add PACER to my matrix!!!

[ROB37LAW]

What is Pacer and how do get into. I tried to open it up and cannot. Can you see other chap 13 in process or finished?
Thanks

I think having access to PACER is a must. It's a way for you to make sure your attorney is properly filing your documents and that everything is correct. I had my attorney fix many errors that I found from checking PACER myself. Had I not had access to PACER, my case probably would have been dismissed. Monitor PACER frequently.

[justbroke]

For searches, PACER never tells you in advance how much it will cost. In oder to pull a document... it does tell you how much it will cost.