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Lawyers who e-file in ED must provide identification

Attorneys registered to file documents electronically in the Eastern District of Virginia must deliver or send by mail a form with their written signature and a photocopy of a government-issued photo identification to the clerk’s office in Alexandria.

If the form and photo are not submitted by the end of the month, the ECF login and password will be deactivated until the attorney complies with the policy, and the attorney will have to submit a forgotten password form to get a new password.

Sharon Cooke, a supervisor in the Richmond Division of the clerk’s office, said the policy “was the decision of the judges, just a safeguard for any signature out there.” The form was e-mailed Tuesday to attorneys registered to file documents electronically.

The Eastern District implemented electronic case filing in March 2007. It was among the last of the districts to do so.

ECF is much better established in the Western District, which requires only a signature by attorneys on the original ECF registration form, according to Deputy Clerk Patti Nelms.

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