5 ms·

My PACER bill always manages to end up north of $25 a quarter. Reforms are sorely needed. Imagine google charging you (and your lawyer) $.10 per search plus $.

My PACER bill always manages to end up north of $25 a quarter. Reforms are sorely needed. Imagine google charging you (and your lawyer) $.10 per search plus $.10 per returned result.

sokoloff 8y ago
In the scheme of waste in the legal field, I'm not sure PACER is a blip. (That's not a reason to never address it, but if we're prioritizing...) For me (not a lawyer), my PACER usage never reaches the threshold where I get sent a bill. I can go research a case I'm interested in, download the relevant filings, read them over, search for related materials, and not get billed. If I really got into a case or couple of cases, maybe I'd get a bill that is less than an average hardcover book. Meanwhile, I've have spent some multiple of that amount on my own time. I'd much rather a system like this than an ad-supported social network for legal filings. My larger beef with PACER is the insanely poor user interface. However, it gets the job done. Edit to add afterwards: Despite the above, I fully support making PACER taxpayer-funded and free-to-access.
- mchannon 8y ago
  Lucky you. I’ve seen legal professionals not limit their queries, downloading 50 pages at $.10 each, when they’ve already downloaded the document umpteen times and only want to see the first or last page. That also goes out the window when you want to read a 283-page filing including attachments. Audio recordings (free) are starting to be made public at the 10th circuit. Looking forward to wider availability of them nationwide.
  - phonon 8y ago
    > That also goes out the window when you want to read a 283-page filing including attachments. PACER has a $3 cap per document (no matter how many pages).
    - mchannon 8y ago
      Last month I got billed $10.00 for a 100-page transcript. March of last year I got billed $12.60 for a 126-page transcript. Not sure where you're getting your information from.
      - justinclift 8y ago
        As a data point, the article did mention a $3 cap.
      - phonon 8y ago
        We're both correct... "Please note that there is a 30-page cap for documents and case-specific reports (e.g., docket report, creditor listing, claims register). You will not be charged more than $3 when you access documents or case-specific reports that are more than 30 pages. However, the 30-page cap does not apply to name search results, lists of cases, or transcripts (when available online)." https://www.pacer.gov/psc/faq.html https://www.pacer.gov/psc/faq.html

My PACER bill always manages to end up north of $25 a quarter. Reforms are sorely needed. Imagine google charging you (and your lawyer) $.10 per search plus $.10 per returned result.

sokoloff 8y ago

In the scheme of waste in the legal field, I'm not sure PACER is a blip. (That's not a reason to never address it, but if we're prioritizing...) For me (not a lawyer), my PACER usage never reaches the threshold where I get sent a bill. I can go research a case I'm interested in, download the relevant filings, read them over, search for related materials, and not get billed. If I really got into a case or couple of cases, maybe I'd get a bill that is less than an average hardcover book. Meanwhile, I've have spent some multiple of that amount on my own time. I'd much rather a system like this than an ad-supported social network for legal filings. My larger beef with PACER is the insanely poor user interface. However, it gets the job done. Edit to add afterwards: Despite the above, I fully support making PACER taxpayer-funded and free-to-access.

mchannon 8y ago
Lucky you. I’ve seen legal professionals not limit their queries, downloading 50 pages at $.10 each, when they’ve already downloaded the document umpteen times and only want to see the first or last page. That also goes out the window when you want to read a 283-page filing including attachments. Audio recordings (free) are starting to be made public at the 10th circuit. Looking forward to wider availability of them nationwide.
- phonon 8y ago
  > That also goes out the window when you want to read a 283-page filing including attachments. PACER has a $3 cap per document (no matter how many pages).
  - mchannon 8y ago
    Last month I got billed $10.00 for a 100-page transcript. March of last year I got billed $12.60 for a 126-page transcript. Not sure where you're getting your information from.
    - justinclift 8y ago
      As a data point, the article did mention a $3 cap.
    - phonon 8y ago
      We're both correct... "Please note that there is a 30-page cap for documents and case-specific reports (e.g., docket report, creditor listing, claims register). You will not be charged more than $3 when you access documents or case-specific reports that are more than 30 pages. However, the 30-page cap does not apply to name search results, lists of cases, or transcripts (when available online)." https://www.pacer.gov/psc/faq.html https://www.pacer.gov/psc/faq.html