Rule 1.1.Registration in Judiciary Electronic Filing and Service System Required for Attorneys in Cases Maintained in Judiciary Information Management System.

Current through July 1, 2026 · Last verified September 11, 2026

In one sentenceRule 1.1 requires every attorney in a case held in the Judiciary Information Management System to register for electronic filing and to file everything electronically.

Full Text of Rule 1.1

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As provided by Rule 4 of the Hawaiʻi Electronic Filing and Service Rules, unless exempted by the court, each attorney representing a party to a case maintained in the Judiciary Information Management System (JIMS) shall register as a Judiciary Electronic Filing and Service System (JEFS) User and shall file all documents electronically. An unrepresented party may register as a JEFS User for the case in which the unrepresented party is an individual party.

End

Amendment History

(Added March 30, 2022, effective April 25, 2022.)

Plain-English Summary

One sentence puts the entire bar on the electronic system. An attorney representing a party in a case maintained in the Judiciary Information Management System, known throughout these rules as JIMS, must register as a user of the Judiciary Electronic Filing and Service System, known as JEFS, and must file all documents electronically. The rule borrows its authority from Rule 4 of the Hawaii Electronic Filing and Service Rules rather than inventing a separate obligation.

The court can excuse an attorney from the requirement. The rule says the duty applies unless the attorney is exempted by the court, which leaves room for the occasional practitioner who cannot file electronically.

A party without a lawyer is treated differently. An unrepresented party may register as a JEFS user, in a case where that party appears as an individual. May, not must. Self-represented litigants keep the option of filing over the counter, which is why the service rules elsewhere in this set keep separate tracks for JEFS users and everyone else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Must a Hawaii family court attorney file electronically?

Yes, in any case maintained in JIMS, unless the court has exempted that attorney. Registration as a JEFS user is required along with electronic filing of all documents.

Can a self-represented party file electronically?

An unrepresented party may register as a JEFS user for a case in which that party appears as an individual. It is an option, not a requirement.

What are JIMS and JEFS?

JIMS is the Judiciary Information Management System, the case management system a family court file lives in. JEFS is the Judiciary Electronic Filing and Service System, the system documents are filed and served through.

Which cases are maintained in JIMS?

Rule 1.2 answers that: all family court cases except those filed under the Child Protective Act and those for the adjudication of juvenile offenders.

Where does the registration requirement come from?

Rule 4 of the Hawaii Electronic Filing and Service Rules. Rule 1.1 applies it to family court practice.

Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the official Hawaii Family Court Rules (Haw. Fam. Ct. R. 1.1). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Hawaii. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 11, 2026. · Official source

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