PACER's One Free Look

Parties that appear on the official email notice list for cases filed in the federal district courts, get one free look at PDFs of filings by any party on PACER. The standard PACER charge is 10 cents per page with a maximum of $3.00 for filings other than transcripts. The District Court for the Northern District of Ohio has a posting on its site which describes how a party can ensure that it gets its one free look, and bypass the PACER login.

1. The filing must be accessed by a registered ECF user through an email generated by the ECF system.

2. The filing must be accessed within 15 days after it is filed with the court.

3. If the user receives a blank screen, it's recommended that the Internet Preferences be changed in Adobe Reader, unchecking 'Display PDF in browser' and 'Allow fast web view'.

4. In the Utilities section for an ECF account, under 'Maintain Your ECF Account' you can enter a secondary email, if your firm's network blocks access to the free look.