> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cottfile.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cottfile.com/getting-started/creating-your-account.md).

# Creating Your Account

How you get started with CottFile depends on whether you are a filer (attorney, paralegal, pro se litigant, or organization administrator) or court staff (clerk, judge, or court administrator).

## For Filers

### Step 1: Go to the Registration Page

From the CottFile homepage, click **Sign In**, choose **Attorneys & Public**, then follow the sign-up link on the sign-in page. You will be taken to the registration page (headed **Create an Account**).

You can sign up using:

* **Google** -- Use your existing Google account for one-click registration.
* **Email and password** -- Create a new account with any email address.

Choose whichever method is most convenient. If you sign up with Google, you will not need to create a separate password.

{% hint style="info" %}
**📹 GIF:** Navigating from the CottFile homepage to the registration page, showing the "Sign In" link and the sign-up link on the sign-in page.
{% endhint %}

### Step 2: Verify Your Email

After signing up with email and password, you will receive a verification code at your email address. Enter the code to confirm your account. If you signed up with Google, this step is handled automatically.

### Step 3: Complete Onboarding

After signing up, you are redirected to the onboarding page -- **Complete Your Profile** -- where the form collects the information needed to set up your account:

1. **Account type** -- Select your role:
   * **Attorney** -- Licensed attorney filing on behalf of clients. Requires a bar roll number.
   * **Paralegal** -- Files on behalf of attorneys in your firm. If your firm invited you, you'll be linked automatically -- or join your firm if CottFile finds it, or name it to create it and invite your team.
   * **Pro Se (Self-Represented)** -- Individual filing on your own behalf. A personal PIN will be generated for you.
   * **Organization Administrator** -- Manages filings on behalf of a law firm or agency. You will create a new organization during registration (you cannot join an existing one directly -- see below).
2. **Role-specific fields:**
   * **Attorneys** enter an optional **Title** (e.g., Mr., Ms., Dr., Hon.), an optional **Middle Name**, and a required **Bar Roll Number**. Each bar roll number can only be registered once.
   * **Organization administrators** must enter an **organization name**. This creates a new organization that you will manage.
   * **Attorneys and paralegals** may optionally enter an organization name too -- leave it blank if your firm invited you, pick your firm from the matches shown below the field, or enter a name to create a new organization.
   * **Pro se filers** have no additional fields. A **PIN** (e.g., PS-12345) is generated automatically after onboarding.
3. **Contact information** (required for all roles):
   * **Phone number**
   * **Mailing address**
4. Click **Complete Setup** to finish.

{% hint style="info" %}
**📹 GIF:** Completing the onboarding form -- selecting "Attorney" as the account type, entering a bar roll number, filling in phone and address, and clicking "Complete Setup."
{% endhint %}

### Is This Your Firm? (Joining Instead of Creating)

As soon as the onboarding form loads, CottFile looks for existing firms you might belong to -- first by your **email domain**, then by the **organization name** you type. Matches appear under the organization name field, each showing the firm's name and member count.

* **This is my firm** -- shown when your email domain clearly belongs to that firm (it has an active member with your domain, and no other firm shares it). Selecting it adds you to the firm when you complete setup, instead of creating a duplicate organization.
* **Request to join** -- shown when CottFile can't confirm the firm from your email. Free email providers (like Gmail) never auto-match, and a domain used by **more than one** firm (like `la.gov`) can't confirm any of them -- every firm on it is shown with Request to join. Your request is sent when you complete setup, and a member of the firm approves or declines it. You'll get an email either way.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Organization administrators** can't join an existing firm directly -- request to join and a member will approve you (you'll join as an attorney). If you type the name of a firm that already exists, you'll be asked to request to join it or have a member invite you instead.
{% endhint %}

While your request is pending, your dashboard shows a **Request to join** banner with a **Withdraw request** button. You can only have one pending request at a time, and requests expire after **7 days**. See [Settings -- Team Members](/filer-guide/settings.md) for the approver's side.

### Step 4: Add a Payment Card (Optional)

After completing setup, attorneys and paralegals are offered a card step:

* If you **created a firm**, you're asked to **set up your firm's payment card** -- a saved card the whole organization can use to pay filing fees. This is optional; you can add or change it later under Settings → Billing.
* Otherwise, you're offered **Add a payment card** for faster filing.

If you click **Skip for now**, CottFile reminds you that a payment method is needed to submit a filing -- unless you are proceeding in forma pauperis or filing for a fee-exempt government agency. You can **Add payment** or **Skip anyway**.

### What Happens After Onboarding

* **Attorneys, paralegals, and organization admins** land on the filer dashboard (after the optional card step).
* **Pro Se filers** see a confirmation screen -- **Registration Complete** -- displaying their generated PIN (e.g., PS-12345). Save this PIN; you may need it for identification at the courthouse. Click **Continue to Dashboard** to proceed.

### Joining an Organization via Invite

If you received an email invitation to join an existing organization, click **Create Account** in the invite email. The registration page will show *"You've been invited to join {organization}"*. Sign up **with the email address the invite was sent to**; after onboarding, your account is automatically linked to that organization (as long as you didn't create or join a different firm during onboarding).

{% hint style="info" %}
Organization invites expire after **7 days**. If your invite has expired, ask someone at your organization to send a new one. You choose your own account type at signup -- the invite links you to the firm regardless of the role it was sent with.
{% endhint %}

### If a Paralegal Already Created Your Attorney Profile

Paralegals can create attorney profiles so they can file on an attorney's behalf before the attorney has an account. If that happened with your email address, sign up with the **same email** and choose **Attorney** as your account type -- you'll claim the existing profile, and any filings made in your name stay attached to your account. (Choosing a different account type shows: *"A paralegal created an attorney profile for this email. Select Attorney as your account type to claim it."*)

### Important Notes for Attorneys

* Your bar roll number must be valid and unique in the system -- one attorney, one account. If it is already registered, the error tells you to **sign in to that account instead**: you can add your second firm or practice from **Settings → Organization** and switch between them (see [Settings](/filer-guide/settings.md)). If the number is yours but the account isn't, contact the court so they can merge the duplicate record.
* Make sure the name on your account matches the name associated with your bar roll number.

## For Court Staff

Court staff accounts -- including clerks, judges, judicial staff, and court administrators -- are **not** created through self-registration. Instead:

1. A **court administrator** or **platform administrator** creates your account or assigns your role from the admin panel.
2. You will receive instructions to set your password.
3. Once your password is set, sign in at the **staff login page** (`/staff/login`).

If you are court staff and do not have an account, contact your court administrator to request one.

{% hint style="info" %}
Court staff must be assigned to a specific court before they can access the filing queue or judicial inbox. Your court administrator handles this assignment.
{% endhint %}


---

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