When you are going to submitted a proposed order for the consideration and signature of the Judge, there are a few tips to keep in mind:
1) Orders and Proposed Orders must be filed in Rich Text Format or .rtf format
Why? This allows the Judge to download your proposed order to his desktop and make changes to it (if necessary) before signing it and filing it as the Court’s order.
Converting your document to .rtf is simple, and is available in both Word and Wordperfect. Simply select File > Save As and select “Rich Text Format” from the Save As Type dropdown. For more specific instructions, here are some quick links, or learn more here.
2) Submit Proposed Orders in a separate filing from an accompanying motion or petition
While the Court allows you to submit your Proposed Order in the same filing as another document, best practice is to submit them separately. This will ensure that your leading motion or petition will be Accepted and docketed immediately, while the order will be forwarded for the Judge’s consideration.
If you submit your documents together, the Court’s system does not allow the Clerk to split the documents apart in order to file one and send the other to the Judge. So, if together, they will both be forwarded to the Judge and only when the Judge signs the order will both documents be Accepted and docketed.
3) Be Patient
When Orders are E-Filed they are routed to the Judge for review and signature. We’ve noticed this process can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a few weeks. If at any time you have concerns that your filing is not being considered in a timely manner, it is best to contact the judicial division assigned to the case.
4) Signed Orders
After the judge reviews and signs the proposed order, you can locate the court’s electronic seal and the judge’s electronic signature in the upper-right corner of the returned document.
If the proposed order is not signed, you can review the court’s NEF (Notice of Electronic Filing) from the Notifications screen.
- Hover your mouse over the yellow note icon to the left of the notification to view the court’s note without opening the notification.
- Alternatively, open the court notification and review the “Note from the Court” section, where the court’s explanation for the unsigned proposed order will be displayed.