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Admission to NDGA Bar

ELIGIBILITY

  1. Provisional Admission. An individual who has been admitted provisionally to the State Bar of Georgia pursuant to the Georgia Supreme Court’s order dated April 17, 2020 is eligible for provisional admission to the Northern District of Georgia pursuant to Administrative Order 20-04.  If you are seeking provisional admission, you must follow a separate set of instructions available here.
  2. Regular Admission. Any attorney who is an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia is eligible for regular admission to the Northern District of Georgia pursuant to Local Rule 83.1 by following the process below.
     

Process:

  1. If you do not already have one, obtain an upgraded, individual PACER account at https://www.pacer.uscourts.gov.
  2. From the PACER website, click on Manage Your Account -> Manage My Account Login.
  3. Select Log in to Manage My Account.
  4. Click on the Maintenance tab.
  5. Click on Attorney Admissions/E-File Registration.
  6. Select Court Type:  U.S. District Courts.
  7. Select Court:  Georgia Northern District, and click Next.
  8. Select Attorney Admissions and E-File.
  9. Select the button that corresponds with the type of PACER account you have currently, and click Done.
  10. Select the appropriate response as to whether you have ever e-filed in Georgia Northern District (does not include bankruptcy court), and click Done. [Note:  If you have e-filed in Georgia Northern District previously, you will be directed to a screen to link your current CM/ECF account for this district with your PACER account or to a screen directing you to upgrade your PACER account.]
  11. Select the Attorney Admissions and E-File button in response to the question, “What would you like to apply/register for?”  [Note:  If you are a Federal Attorney, click here for instructions.]
  12. Complete all sections of the Attorney Admissions request form, and electronically sign the form before submission.  
  13. Your request for admission will be sent through PACER to the Attorney Admissions desk in the clerk’s office for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for review and approval.  
  14. If your request is approved, you will receive an e-mail requesting payment of the $199.00 admission fee through PACER and Pay.gov.  You must pay this fee within 30 days or your application will be rejected and you will need to re-apply for admission.  You must use FireFox, Edge, or Chrome to complete the payment process as an error may occur with the Internet Explorer browser.
  15. If payment is received on time, you will be admitted to the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and will be given access to e-file in this Court.
  16. A certificate of admission will be mailed to you.  
     

Optional Admissions Ceremony:

An optional admissions ceremony is available in the Atlanta division on the first Monday of each month.  If the first Monday is a federal holiday, the optional ceremony will be held in the Atlanta division on the second Monday of the month.  Optional admissions ceremonies in the Gainesville, Newnan, and Rome divisions may be scheduled by contacting the clerk’s office in each division.  If you choose to participate in an admissions ceremony, then you must pay the attorney admission fee on or before the Thursday preceding the ceremony or within 30 days of receiving the email indicating your application has been approved, whichever is earlier.