Registering your firm
Register your firm with the Massachusetts Odyssey file and serve site
Before being able to file using the system, a firm account must be created for your law firm. Each lawyer in the firm may then be invited to join the firm account. Before you register for a Firm Account, check with your firm to ensure an account has not already been created for your firm and ensure you have permission to create such an account for the firm. If your firm has already created an account, ask your firm administrator to invite you to join the firm. Solo practitioners also still need to set up firm accounts. There is no ability to register an account simply as a lawyer; lawyers need to be associated with firm accounts.
Adding firm administrators
How to give another user within your firm administrative privileges (which allows them to approve or deny new users, add firm attorneys, edit firm information (name, address, phone number, whether administrator approval is required for new user registration), and edit payment account information), make them a firm administrator.
Adding payment accounts to your firm
Before you can file, there must be at least one payment account set up for your firm in your firm account. These enable the firm to pay related e-filing fees. Effective June 1, 2020, the e-filing fee is a flat rate of $22 per case and is charged only to the plaintiff, appellant or petitioner when a case is initiated by e-filing, unless the entry fee has been waived by the court.
There are three account options:
- Waiver accounts: for court fees that have been approved to be waived (e.g., when there has been a finding of indigency)
- Credit Cards
- eChecks: allows drawing from a bank account much like a traditional check
Adding waiver accounts to your firm
Waiver accounts are used to waive court fees as well as the fee charged to use the e-filing system. These accounts are only to be used when approved, i.e., when the Court has already approved that the filing fee be waived or it is a filing type where the fee is automatically waived. If a waiver account is used for a fee in which the filing fee is not deemed waived, the Clerk's Office will reject the filing and require submission with a valid payment account.
Adding attorneys to your firm
All firms must add attorneys to their firm account. This means that the firm account must add attorneys. This is not the same as inviting users who are attorneys at your firm to join the firm. Adding attorneys to the firm account allows users to select these attorneys as the filing attorney when submitted papers to the court; these attorneys are not given access to create cases or submit filings without also being individual users with their own accounts. Inviting an attorney to join the firm as a user allows them to start cases and file into existing cases. Refer to the user guide on how to invite users to join your firm, for more information.
Adding service contacts to your firm
Adding service contacts to your firm account allows other parties to electronically serve filings on those who are listed as service contacts. By enrolling in the e-filing system, users are automatically consenting to be electronically served in all cases in which they appear. This includes receiving electronic notices from the Appeals Court.
Inviting users to join your firm
Firm users are able to start new electronically filed cases and file into existing cases. They cannot, however, add other firm users, add firm attorneys, edit firm information, or add/change payment account information. Firm users can, however, add to the firm service contact list.
Approving new users as a firm administrator
If, when creating your firm administrator account (refer to separate user guide for step-by step instructions for creating this account) you leave box beside the "Require administrator approval of new user registration" text checked, you will have to manually approve users when they join your firm before they can access their accounts and submit filings under the firm name.
Resetting a firm user's password
Should a firm user forget their password, a firm administrator needs to reset it for them in order for them to be able to access their account.
Joining a firm as an invited user
If your firm administrator invites you to join a law firm in the e-filing system, follow these steps to become a user associated with your firm. This will allow you to create cases and submit filings to the court. Firm users do not have to be attorneys.
Changing your password
Change the password to your account.
Get help and support
The eFileMA website has a self-service area (eFile knowledge base) with links to a variety of useful topics.
- For technical assistance with eFileMA, please visit their support page to call, email, chat, or access their help center.
- Should you require further assistance with procedural questions related to e-filing with the SJC – Single Justice Session, please call the Office of the Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for the County of Suffolk at (617) 557-1100.