When you reach Review and File > Review, NextChapter checks the attorney profile selected on the case for two things: whether its district matches the Attorney Profile selected within the case, and whether the account has an ECF Authentication Secret saved. If the Attorney Profile card shows a red alert icon instead of a green checkmark, you'll see one or two warning messages. This article covers both.
Warning Message 1: Mismatched District
"The attorney profile selected has a different district saved than the district selected for the case. You can proceed to file the case but you will need to override the credentials. Or you can add a new profile for this district in your settings."
What This Means
The attorney profile selected on the case is set up for a different district than the one entered for the case. You're not blocked from filing, but you have a choice to make about how to handle it.
Your Options
Option A: Select/Add a new profile for the correct district
NextChapter allows an attorney to save multiple Attorney Profiles, so the same attorney can file across different districts without switching accounts. If you already have these created, you can go to the Client Profile > Filing Information, and select the correct Profile from the "Attorney" drop-down. If you need to create a new attorney profile, follow the steps below:
Log in as the attorney (or have them log in) and go to My Account Settings > My User Profile.
Click + New Profile under the Additional profiles section.
Enter the bar and ECF information for the district the case needs, then click Ok.
Return to Client Profile > Filing Information and select the newly added profile from the Attorney dropdown, matching it to the case's district.
Note: An attorney profile will only be available for selection in the Attorney dropdown if it has Role set to Attorney, a Bar Number, and a Bar State entered.
Option B: Override credentials at filing
If this is a one-off filing in a district you don't normally file in, you don't necessarily need to save a new profile. You can proceed to the Filing page and override your credentials there for this single case.
For a full walkthrough of setting up and managing multiple attorney profiles, see: Attorney Profiles.
Warning Message 2: Missing ECF Authentication Secret
"The attorney profile selected is missing the ECF Authentication Secret. Please add the secret key in My Account Settings > My User Profile before proceeding."
What This Means
This message relates to PACER's multifactor authentication (MFA). NextChapter can automatically enter your PACER MFA code at filing, but only once a secret key has been added to the attorney's profile. If that secret key is missing, you'll see this warning.
How to Fix It
Setting up the secret key takes about 5 minutes and is done in two places — PACER and NextChapter.
In PACER, go to Manage My Account > Manage MFA Settings > Authentication Apps and click Add App (even if you already have an authenticator app connected — this creates a new entry specifically for NextChapter).
PACER will display a QR code and a secret key. Copy the secret key.
In NextChapter, go to My Account Settings > My User Profile, paste the key into the Secret Key field, and save.
Go back to the PACER tab and finish the setup there by scanning the QR code with an authenticator app on your phone, then confirm in PACER.
Once both sides are complete, NextChapter will automatically handle MFA at filing, and this warning will clear.
Important: Don't skip the final step of scanning the QR code in PACER — this is the most common reason NextChapter doesn't enter the MFA code automatically.
For the complete step-by-step walkthrough with screenshots, see: ECF Multifactor Authentication: Add Your Secret Key.
Confirming the Fix
Once the attorney profile's district matches the case and the ECF Authentication Secret has been saved, return to Review and File > Review. The Attorney Profile card should now display a green checkmark instead of the red alert icon.