(a)    Electronic Filing Policies and Procedures.  The clerk shall prepare and publish policies and procedures for electronic filing, which the clerk may amend from time to time.  These policies and procedures, which are exempt from the public notice and comment requirements for adoption of local rules, shall have the force of local rules.  A link to the policies and procedures will be available on the court’s web page.

(b)    After Hours Electronic Filing.  Unless otherwise ordered, any paper filed electronically must be filed before midnight local time to be considered timely filed that day.

(c)    Signatures.  Any paper physically signed and filed electronically, or filed in paper form and thereafter converted to an electronic document by the clerk, has the same force and effect as an original.  Verified or certified papers filed electronically shall be treated for all purposes (both civil and criminal, including penalties for perjury) as if they had been physically signed and/or subscribed.  An attorney shall not file a paper requiring a person’s signature without obtaining the person’s signature before filing.

(d)    Security of Electronic Filing Account. Each attorney, law firm, trustee, or other person that obtains a password for electronic filing is responsible for the account security and use.  No attorney, law firm, trustee, or other person may knowingly permit or cause to permit an electronic filer’s password to be used by anyone other than an authorized member, employee, or agent of the electronic filer’s firm.