The idea of accessing court records electronically was once a distant dream. In 1988, PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) took its first digital steps, launching a pilot program that allowed users to access federal appellate court dockets through a dial-up, terminal-based service. This was a time when computers made noises like angry dial-up robots, and the concept of “electronic court records” sounded like science fiction. Since then, PACER has transformed the

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) took its first digital steps in 1988, back when computers made noises like angry dial‑up robots (think AOL) and the idea of “electronic court records” sounded like science fiction. The Judicial Conference created it to help courts move from in‑person filings to something a little more… modern. Up until then, dockets were handwritten. Yes, handwritten. The pilot program was available as a dial-up, terminal-based service, for

If you opened your PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) account during college, law school, or your first legal job, you might wonder what happens to it when you move on. The good news is that your PACER account is personal and portable . It doesn’t belong to your employer; it belongs to you. This means you can keep using the same account as you change jobs, or take on new roles in the legal field. And PACER prefers you keep one account. All it takes is a few si

If you’ve ever called the PACER service center, you might have heard the dreaded message: “You have reached the Pacer service center. The current wait time is 345 minutes, you are 200th in line.” Yes, that’s nearly six hours on hold and a queue longer than a Black Friday sale. Sound familiar? Maybe you were trying to reset a password or, worse, couldn’t remember the answers to your security questions. If so, you’re not alone. Let’s unpack this experience and see if we can mak

Let’s be honest: no one ever said, “Let’s talk about PACER.” Yet here it is, suddenly demanding your attention like opposing counsel filing a last-minute motion on a Friday afternoon. The latest PACER update requires multifactor authentication (MFA), and overnight, attorneys, paralegals, and IT teams found themselves juggling authenticator apps, password managers, and security codes like performers in a circus act. If you’ve been scrambling to find passwords from the Jurassic