A well-organized E-Filing firm account can make everyday tasks like onboarding new employees, managing notifications, and submitting filings much easier. Whether you're a new account administrator or have been managing your firm's account for years, taking a few minutes to review your settings can help prevent problems you may encounter in the future.
Have at Least Two Account Administrators
- Account administrators have many privileges, such as managing service contacts, payment accounts, and passwords for users.
- If your primary administrator is unavailable or no longer with your firm, you may end up in a situation where you need to jump through some time consuming hoops to regain access to administrative tools. Having a second administrator prevents this issue.
- To add a user as an Admin, make sure you have the “Admin” option selected when adding them to your account. You can also easily change existing users from mere mortal to "Admin" using the edit user function.
Require a Separate User for Each Filer
- There is no limit to the number of individual users on your account, so creating a separate login for each person is a great best practice.
- At a minimum, any person who submits a filing should have their own credentials.
- When a filing is submitted, the filer is attesting to the validity of of any "/s/" signatures, so you never want anyone else to be using your username to file.
- Separate users ensure accuracy and accountability if issues later arise with a filing.
Confirm Service Contacts and Payment Accounts
- Make sure the email address for every attorney in your firm is accurate in the Roll of Attorneys. This ensures that your public service contacts are accurate.
- Add any private service contacts you need to the account. These can be paralegals, legal assistants, or anyone in the office that needs to be attached to a case who is not an attorney. You can even add your client this way.
- Ensure payment methods are up to date on all payment accounts, and set reminders on expiration dates for credit cards.
- Check that your E-Filing account also has a waiver account. While you may not regularly submit filings that require a waiver, this is a convenient way to make certain you can file before a deadline if you encounter an issue with a declined card and are submitting a subsequent filing that will incur no charges.
Regularly Review Your List of Users and Contact Information
- Remove any users who have left the firm.
- Confirm contact information for each user, particularly administrators.
- Also confirm that billing contact information is updated as well.
- Ensure that your attorney’s E-Filing username/email address matches the one registered in the Roll of Attorneys. Many firms and users have multiple emails or logins, and confirming which account is used can prevent a number of potential headaches.
Take a few minutes now to take a look at your account, and consider scheduling an annual checkup to keep your team filing smoothly. These preventive efforts can save a lot of time and frustration down the road. Also, if you aren’t an administrator make sure you know who is just in case you need help with any of the actions listed above.
Whether you’re responsible for administering your E-Filing or not, remember that Doxpop is here to help with any questions you may have. Our support team can be reached at support@doxpop.com or by calling 866-369-7671.
