The Probate and Family Court hereby ORDERS that effective April
2, 2020, and until further order of the court:

Where the email address of an
attorney of record is known because it was previously provided by the attorney
on pleadings or other papers filed with the court in connection with the case
at issue, pleadings and other papers may be served upon the attorney of record
under Mass.R.Dom.Rel.P. 5(b) by email sent to the email address provided.

If, for any reason, an attorney of record cannot be served at an
email address previously provided or if an attorney of record, for whatever
reason, has not previously provided an email address,  the attorney of
record shall promptly communicate that to all other attorneys of record and
self-represented parties and provide an active email address.

Whenever parties have the right or are required to do
some act or initiate a proceeding within a prescribed period after the service
of pleadings or other papers upon them and the pleadings or other papers are
served upon them by email, three (3) days shall be added to the prescribed
period.

All attorneys
of record shall cooperate in the exchange of pleadings and other papers by
email to accomplish the purpose of this order. Pleadings and other
documents may not be served by email upon a self-represented party, unless that
self-represented party consents in writing, which may be by email, in which
case the self-represented party shall be subject to the same obligations and
restrictions as an attorney of record under this order.

Service of
pleadings and other papers by email upon an incarcerated self-represented party
is not authorized by this order under any circumstances.  If applicable, parties should note on their
filings “served via email.”

If the
pleadings or other papers to be served by a party include an affidavit signed
under the penalties of perjury, but the party making service has been unable to
secure the affiant’s original handwritten signature, or a scanned or
photographed copy thereof, due to constraints arising from the coronavirus
pandemic, the affidavit may still be served and subsequently filed with the
court if the affiant has signed the affidavit electronically. The party making
service shall thereafter take steps to secure the affidavit bearing the
affiant’s original handwritten signature as soon as practicable.