How-to guide: Connecting PACER Accounts

What This Is

PACER is the federal court's electronic filing system. Every firm filing bankruptcy cases needs an active PACER account, and Glade needs to be connected to it so the team can file cases without texting the attorney for a 2FA code every time.

The setup registers Glade as an additional authenticator app on the attorney's PACER account. Their existing 2FA method keeps working — this is additive, not a replacement. Going forward, Glade's agent captures 2FA codes automatically on login.

Who Does This

The Glade CSM drives everything — the attorney is on the call but passive. Pete (or the CSM running the session) pulls the PACER credentials from the client ahead of the call so there's no live credential hunt. The attorney's job during the call is to read out two codes: their existing 2FA code when prompted at login, and an email verification code that PACER sends when registering a new authenticator app.

The attorney does not need to share their screen. They just need their phone (for the authenticator app) and access to their email inbox.

This is not something the attorney can do async — the email verification code step requires them live.

When to Do This

During onboarding, after the firm's dashboard is fully set up and attorney info has been entered. Usually during the first review call or a scheduled follow-up.

Prerequisites:

• Attorney info entered in the Glade dashboard (skip the USCIS section)

• PACER credentials obtained from the client before the call (Pete pulls these in advance)

• Attorney live on the call with their phone (for authenticator app) and email inbox accessible

• Two browser tabs open: PACER district login and Glade integrations page

One PACER account, multiple districts: Central, Northern, and Southern California all share the same PACER account — connect once and it covers all three. The Eastern District is a completely separate system with its own login and will need to be done independently.

Step-by-Step

The full walkthrough with screenshots lives in the Plain KB:

👉 PACER 2FA Setup in Glade (Help Center article)

👉 Video walkthrough (Loom, ~5 min)

At a high level, the flow is:

In PACER

1. Log into PACER with the attorney's credentials

2. Enter the attorney's current 2FA code to access settings

3. Navigate to Manage MFA Settings → Add App

4. Have the attorney read the email verification code from PACER and enter it

5. Name the new app "Glade"

6. Copy the PACER authentication key shown at the bottom of the screen

In Glade (simultaneously with the PACER steps above)

1. In the dashboard, go to Integrations → PACER E-Filing Settings → Connect New PACER Account

2. Enter the attorney's PACER credentials (same credentials entered in PACER — do this in parallel, not after)

3. Paste the PACER authentication key

4. Copy the Glade App Authentication Manual Entry Key

Back in PACER

1. Paste the Glade key and click Next

2. Enter the one-time passcode from the authenticator app

3. Click Submit on the Confirmation page

Back in Glade

1. Click Connect. Done.

Why the attorney must be present: at step 4, PACER emails a verification code to the attorney before letting a new auth app be registered. Only the attorney can pull that code from their inbox.

STEP BY STEP - WITH SCREENSHOTS

1. Open PACER in Google Chrome: https://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/pscof/login.xhtml

2. Enter your username and password, then click Login
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3. Enter your current 2FA code from your authentication app and click Submit
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4. You’re going to want to look for the page labelled Manage MFA settings. This may require navigating to the “Manage Account” in PACER and re-entering the attorney’s password. Once you do, you;ll be brooght to the “Manage My Account Page”.

5. MISSING: Screenshot of PACER after a successful login, with indications for where to navigate to “Manage My Account”.

6. Click Manage MFA Settings → Add App
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7. Click Manage Add App
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8. When prompted, enter the security code sent by PACER to your email and click Submit
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9. In the nickname field, enter "Glade", then click Next
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10. You'll see a long string of characters at the bottom of the screen. Copy it (Ctrl + C) and click Next
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In Glade

1. In a new browser tab, open Glade.ai: https://app.glade.ai/dashboard/account/integrations

2. Click the blue "PACER E-Filing Settings" button on the right
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3. Click Connect New PACER Account
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4. Enter your PACER username and password
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5. Paste (Ctrl + V) the long string of characters copied from PACER
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6. Copy (Ctrl + C) the App Authentication Manual Entry Key provided by Glade
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Back in PACER

1. Return to the PACER window and paste (Ctrl + V) the Glade App Authentication Manual Entry Key, then click Next
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2. Enter the one-time passcode from your app and click Submit

3. Click Submit again on the Confirmation page
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Back in Glade

1. Click Connect
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2. Once connected, you may close the Glade window

You're all set! Glade is now linked to PACER with 2FA enabled.

Add Glade's Email for Court Notices

Once 2FA is connected, PACER also needs to know where to send court notices (NEFs) so Glade can auto-process them. This is a quick follow-on step in the same PACER session.

Steps

1. LOG OUT OF PACER - we’ll test the firms new 2FA on glade by logging into the specific court wherein they file most and re-input credentials there.

2. Log into the district of choice. Really easy to find the specific url by general google searching “the ____ district of ____ Bankruptcy Court Pacer”

3. Enter the attorney credentials and use the 2FA code from Glade to initiate login. You should be inside at this point.

4. Navigate to Utilities

5. Click Maintain Your ECF Account

6. Go to the Secondary Email tab

7. In a separate tab, open the firm's Glade dashboard → Integrations and copy the firm-specific court-notices email address

8. Paste it into PACER's secondary email field and save

Heads up: Each firm has its own unique forwarding email in Glade — don't hardcode or reuse one from another firm.

Northern District caveat: The Northern District only allows one backup email address. If the firm already has a backup email on file there, discuss before overwriting it. Some CSMs are holding off on Northern District until they can evaluate the noticing volume first.

Scope of notices: Once the email is registered, Glade receives court notices for all of the firm's cases in that district — not just cases filed through Glade. This includes cases filed weeks or months ago. Automations (341 meeting alerts, trustee notices, etc.) will fire on all incoming notices.

Court notices should flow to Glade automatically from there.

Verification

Once connected, confirm the PACER integration is working in two places:

1. Integrations page in Glade

Inside the firm's Glade dashboard, navigate to Account → Integrations. PACER should show as connected (similar to how the Confido integration shows status on the same page).

2. Test that the agent actually captures codes

Trigger a PACER action through Glade. If the 2FA step completes without anyone needing to relay a code, the agent is successfully registered as the authenticator app.

After Setup — Accessing the 2FA Code in Glade

Once connected, Glade's filing agent uses the registered 2FA code automatically — no one needs to relay it. But if anyone on the firm's team ever needs to log into PACER manually, they can get the current code directly from Glade: click the user icon at the bottom left of the Glade dashboard. The code refreshes every 30 seconds, same as any authenticator app. This means team members never have to chase the attorney for a PACER code.

Common Issues

What You Do (Glade-Side)

1. Pull PACER credentials from the client before the call — don't ask for them live. Get them via email, form, or prior message.

2. Schedule the call with the attorney available — they don't need to share their screen, just have their phone and email accessible. "I'll need you for about 10 minutes to read out two codes."

3. Open two tabs: the PACER district login and the Glade integrations page

4. Enter credentials in both tabs simultaneously — PACER login and Glade's Connect New PACER Account flow

5. Have the attorney read out codes as prompted: first their existing authenticator app code at login, then the PACER email verification code

6. Complete the key exchange between PACER and Glade

7. Add Glade's court-notices email to PACER under Utilities → Maintain Your ECF Account → Secondary Email (see Northern District caveat above)

8. Verify on the Integrations page afterward

9. Confirm with the attorney that they can access their 2FA code in Glade: click their user icon at the bottom left of the Glade dashboard — the code is there, refreshes every 30 seconds. Their team can use this instead of asking the attorney directly.

10. Mark the PACER setup task complete in the onboarding checklist

11. Store the PACER credentials in Vitally — see the section below

Storing PACER Credentials in Vitally

After completing the PACER setup on the call, immediately log the firm's PACER credentials in Vitally so the team has a central record.

Where to Store Them

1. Open Vitally and navigate to the firm's account

2. Click the Explorer tab in the left sidebar

3. Click Notes

4. Click Create new to add a new note

5. Title the note "PACER Credentials"

6. In the note body, record:

   • Username: the attorney's PACER username

   • Password: the attorney's PACER password

7. Save the note

The note will be associated with the firm's account and visible to any CSM who opens that account in Vitally under Explorer → Notes.

Why this matters: If a PACER connection needs to be re-established later (e.g., after a credential reset or 2FA issue), the CSM handling it needs the original credentials. Without this note, you'd have to call the attorney again just to get their login — which wastes everyone's time.

Do this on the call, not after. The attorney just gave you their credentials live. Log them immediately while you still have them. Don't plan to "do it later" — you'll forget.