You are here

Admission Pro Hac Vice

I.   Governing Local Rules

Local Rule 83.1(B), below, sets forth the requirements for admission pro hac vice:

83.1(B)    Permission to Appear Pro Hac Vice.

(1) Eligibility. An attorney who does not represent the United States government or any agency thereof may apply in writing for permission to appear pro hac vice in a particular case if the attorney (1) is not an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia but is a member in good standing of the bar of any United States court or of the highest court of any State or (2) is an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia but does not reside in this district.

Except as set forth in LR 83.1(A)(3), an attorney must be admitted in any case in which the attorney will appear in this Court on behalf of a party, apply for fees, sign his or her name to a document filed with the Court, or otherwise substantially participate in preparing or presenting a case. This requirement does not mean that every attorney within a law firm providing legal services that may be included in a fee request must be admitted pro hac vice so long as attorneys within the firm who have appeared in the case are directing that work and are either (1) admitted to the bar of this Court as regular members or (2) have been admitted pro hac vice in the particular case.

(2) Application Process. Applications for admission pro hac vice may be obtained from the clerk. The applicant must state, under penalty of perjury, the following:

(a) the applicant's residential address, office address, telephone number, and email address;

(b) all courts to which the applicant has been admitted to practice and the dates of admission;

(c) that the applicant is in good standing and eligible to practice in all courts to which the applicant has been admitted; and

(d) that the applicant either does not reside in the district or is not a member of the State Bar of Georgia.

(3) Fees and Permission. Applications for admission pro hac vice must be accompanied by payment of a prescribed admission fee. Except as otherwise ordered by the presiding judge for good cause, an applicant for admission pro hac vice will not be permitted to appear until the application has been granted by the district judge to whom the case is assigned or, in cases in which the parties have consented to a magistrate judge presiding, the magistrate judge to whom the case is assigned.

(4) Designation, Qualifications, and Duties of Local Counsel. An attorney applying to appear pro hac vice must designate local counsel with whom opposing counsel and the Court readily may communicate regarding the conduct of the case and upon whom papers may be served. Except as otherwise ordered by the presiding judge for good cause, the designated local counsel must maintain an office in this district and be a member in good standing of the bar of this Court and the State Bar of Georgia. Local counsel must file the application for admission pro hac vice and must verify the bar admission status of the attorney being sponsored for admission. The address, telephone number, email address, and written consent of local counsel must be filed with the application. Local counsel must authorize and sign all pleadings and other papers filed in the case by the attorney appearing pro hac vice. Accordingly, local counsel is subject to Fed. R. Civ. P. 11.

(5) Effect of Failure to Respond by Attorney Appearing Pro Hac Vice. If the attorney appearing pro hac vice fails to respond to any order of the Court for appearance or otherwise, local counsel will have the responsibility and full authority to act on behalf of the client in all proceedings related to the case, including hearings, pretrial conferences, and trial.

 

II.    Application Procedures

Electronic Application:  Applications for admission pro hac vice may be obtained using this link and must be filed electronically by designated local counsel.  Payment must be made during the electronic filing of the completed application by the designated local counsel.

Admission Fee:  $100.00, payable by credit card, debit card, or ACH online through pay.gov.

Designated Local Counsel:  Must be an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia and the Bar of the Northern District of Georgia and maintain an office in the Northern District of Georgia.  All attorneys signing as local counsel are subject to verification of enrollment and status of good standing with the State Bar of Georgia prior to application approval.  Attorneys are reminded of their duty to verify the bar admission status of any attorney they are sponsoring.

Mandatory Requirements

  1. Provide all required information when creating your application, including a list of all cases filed in this court in which the applicant has appeared as counsel as well as local counsel's name and bar number.
  2. Save the completed application in PDF format, and e-file it in the appropriate case.
  3. Pay the $100.00 fee at time of filing.

Once the order is signed granting admission pro hac vice, you must request access to the Northern District of Georgia’s electronic filing system through PACER.  However, if filing access previously was granted in another case, you should omit this step.  Click here for step-by-step instructions on requesting access to CM/ECF after you have been admitted pro hac vice.  

Exception:  Attorneys who have been permitted to practice in multi-district litigation pending in the Northern District of Georgia without completing the standard pro hac vice application form may obtain access to the Court's CM/ECF system through PACER.  An appearance must be filed in the case.  Click here for step-by-step instructions on requesting MDL access to CM/ECF.