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27 articlesHow to use CourtListener for free legal research. Search 10+ million court opinions, track cases with alerts, find citing authorities, and access federal dockets — all free, no s
Practical breakdown of what in forma pauperis status covers in federal court. Filing fees, U.S. Marshals service, transcripts, expert witnesses, deposition costs — and the expens
Step-by-step guide to serving a defendant in federal court under Rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Covers personal service, waiver of service, U.S. Marshals, and proo
Compare Section 1983, Bivens, and FTCA claims for pro se litigants. Learn which cause of action applies when the government violates your rights — state vs. federal actors, const
Complete guide to filing a Section 1983 civil rights claim in federal court as a pro se litigant. Covers the elements of a § 1983 claim, state action, qualified immunity, Monell m
Complete guide to federal court discovery for pro se litigants. Covers initial disclosures, interrogatories, requests for production, depositions, and discovery disputes under the
Step-by-step guide to opposing a motion for summary judgment in federal court as a pro se litigant. Covers Rule 56, the legal standard, how to create genuine disputes of material f
Step-by-step guide to filing a Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) claim as a pro se litigant. Covers the SF-95 administrative claim, the 2-year deadline, agency investigation, filing s
Step-by-step guide to filing a pro se appeal in federal court. Covers the notice of appeal, deadlines, appellate briefs, standards of review, the record on appeal, IFP status, and
Complete guide to formatting documents for federal court. Covers margins, fonts, line spacing, page limits, caption format, CM/ECF PDF requirements, and local rules for pro se liti
Complete guide to EEOC right-to-sue letters for pro se litigants. Covers filing an EEOC charge, the 180/300-day deadline, getting a right-to-sue letter, the 90-day deadline to file
How to label, organize, and format exhibits for federal court filing. Cover pages, exhibit indexes, file size management, photo evidence, and CM/ECF upload requirements for pro se
Some federal courts require text-searchable PDFs. Learn what that means, how to check if your PDF qualifies, and how to add OCR to scanned documents — free tools included.
Step-by-step guide to scanning legal documents with your phone for federal court filing. iPhone, Android, free apps, and tips for court-quality scans that CM/ECF accepts.
A motion to dismiss can end your federal case before it starts. Here's how to write an effective opposition as a pro se litigant — the legal standard, response structure, common
Your PDF is too large for CM/ECF. Here's how to fix it — reduce scanning resolution, compress images, split into parts, and convert from source instead of scanning.
Practical guide for representing yourself in federal court. Covers filing a complaint, CM/ECF registration, serving defendants, meeting deadlines, and formatting your documents.
Whether pro se litigants can file electronically through CM/ECF depends on the court. Some require it, some prohibit it, most allow it with permission. Here's how every federal dis
Complete table of CM/ECF PDF file size limits for every federal court. District courts range from 30MB to 200MB. Find your court's limit and learn what to do when your filing is to
PACER is for viewing court records. CM/ECF is for filing documents. They share a login but serve different purposes. Here's how both systems work for pro se litigants.
How to use PACER to search federal court cases, view docket sheets, download filings, and manage costs. A plain-language tutorial for pro se litigants who've never used the system.
Can't afford the $405 federal court filing fee? In forma pauperis (IFP) status can waive it. Here's how to apply, what income qualifies, what IFP covers, and what happens after you
Fix the 'document is malformed' CM/ECF error and other common PDF rejection messages. Step-by-step solutions for every CM/ECF upload error federal courts throw at you.
How to sign federal court documents for electronic filing. The /s/ signature format, what goes in a signature block, Rule 11 implications, and why DocuSign causes problems in CM/EC
Convert photos, screenshots, and scanned exhibits into court-ready PDFs for free. No software required. Works with CM/ECF electronic filing in all federal districts.
Step-by-step guide to getting electronic filing access in federal court as a pro se litigant. PACER account setup, CM/ECF registration, NextGen unified login, and common problems.
Complete guide to CM/ECF PDF requirements for federal court filing. File size limits by district, formatting rules, common rejection errors, and how to fix them.
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