Plus, while it costs, I've found PACER to be very easy to work with. Firm tried to go with an alternative that was potentially cheaper (Powered by LEXIS) but it was such a PITA that we gave up and switched back to using PACER.Yes and no. Reviewing the docket shows that while TSR is retaining counsel from The Humphries Law Firm (based out of WIlmington, NC), they're also making use of Immix Law Group, which is based out of Portland, Oregon. That doesn't seem much better, except the attorney who filed the complaint is from Immix and cites a law office of theirs in Bainbridge Island, Washington. So they're not going in without a firm that knows the area.
Again, this isn't wrong, but it's not the full story. The public can access federal case materials via Public Access to Court Electronic Records (aka PACER). While PACER does charge $0.10 per page of materials retrieved (to a maximum of $3.00 for a single document), a quick review of their terms shows that if you accrue a total of $30.00 or less during a quarter-calendar year, the charges are waived.
I don't use the State (IL in my case) filing system much, but my limited exposure to the Cook County courts system makes me very glad I don't have too!