Attorney Admissions

     

Eligibility and Admissions of Attorneys

Any lawyer who is a member in good standing of the North Carolina State Bar is eligible for admission to the bar of this court, which admission shall be granted as a matter of course upon payment of a fee in the amount of $300.00 and upon taking the prescribed oath in open court. (view oath here) To establish an ECF account, an attorney must complete ECF training made available in this district or certify that they have completed training in another federal district.

• It shall be necessary for a member in good standing of the North Carolina State Bar to be formally admitted in this district in advance of making an appearance and filing papers; such attorney may be admitted nunc pro tunc at trial time. Nunc pro tunc admission is only temporary admission and must be followed up by seeking admission as defined above.

• All counsel, except those representing governmental agencies, must pay a fee in the amount of $300.00  for each special admission or whenever Pro Hac Vice is granted.

Attention Attorneys Already Admitted to Eastern or Middle Districts of N.C. - Attorneys already admitted to the bars of either the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina may be admitted to the bar of this court upon tendering the application and fees required by this rule, together with a copy of the Order of your admission to practice or a Certificate of Good Standing from either of the aforementioned districts. You will not need to appear in this district to take the oath. You will need to mail this completed Application for Admission to Practice, together with a copy of the Order admitting you to practice in the Eastern or Middle Districts or a Certificate of Good Standing from either of the aforementioned districts, along with the $300.00 fee.  Please make check or money order payable to Clerk, U.S. District Court.


Schedule An Appointment

First, complete and print the Application for Admission to Practice. You will need to bring this completed form with you to your scheduled appointment.

Charlotte Office: The Judges in the Charlotte Division have designated the Clerk or in her absence, the Secretary to the Clerk, to administer the oath to attorneys in the Clerk’s Office, rather than formally in open court. Please contact Karen Burton, in the Clerk’s Office at 704-350-6719.

Asheville Office: Please contact Missy Frisch, Operations Supervisor, in the Clerk’s Office at 828-771-7210.

Statesville Office: Please contact Meg Kirk, Courtroom Deputy to Judge Kenneth D. Bell at 704-350-7406.

You may also contact our help desk.


Regarding Special Admissions

• Special, pro hac vice and nunc pro tunc admissions are discretionary and additional requirements or expectations for such admissions may be found in the Standing Civil Order of the judge to whom the case is assigned

• Motions for special appearance pro hac vice shall be submitted to the Court upon the forms prescribed by this court (see form below). The motion shall be filed electronically by local counsel who must be registered to file electronically. The motion shall include the e-mail address of the attorney seeking admission; and shall be accompanied by the $300.00 fee.

• Where justice requires, the authorized deputy clerks at Asheville, Statesville and Charlotte may permit the filing of papers at the request of out-of-state counsel shall be governed as herein above provided

* Form for pro hac vice application