Local Rule General L.R. 83.3: Admission to Practice

General L.R. 83.3. Admission to Practice

(a) Bar of Court. The Bar of this Court consists of those persons previously admitted to (and not removed from) the Bar of this Court and of those persons who hereafter are admitted under this Rule.

(b) Procedure for Admission to Practice. Any attorney who is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Alabama may be admitted to the Bar of this Court upon the submission of an application, payment of the prescribed admission fee, and

(1) The order of a District Judge of this Court (on oral or written motion by a member of the Bar of this Court or on the Court's own motion), and the administering of the prescribed oath before any Judge (or other designee) of this Court; or

(2) The filing of a Certificate of Good Standing from the Clerk of the United States District Court for the District in which the applicant resides or regularly practices law.

(c) Renewed Application for Admission. Attorneys are required to renew their application for admission every five (5) years by submission of an application and payment of the prescribed fee.

(d) Admission Pro Hac Vice.

(1) Any attorney who is not a member of the Bar of this Court but who is admitted to practice before any United States Court for the District in which such person resides or regularly practices law, or the highest Court of any State or the District of Columbia, may, upon motion and payment of the prescribed admission fee, be admitted pro hac vice by an order of any District Judge, Magistrate Judge, or Bankruptcy Judge of this Court.

(2) The attorney must attach to his/her motion a Certificate of Good Standing, dated within thirty (30) days of the application for admission, from (i) a Federal Court described in sub-paragraph (d)(1) or, if the attorney is not admitted to practice in such a court, (ii) the highest Court of the State (or District of Columbia) where the attorney resides or regularly practices law.

(3) Any such attorney who appears as counsel by filing any pleading, document, or other paper in any case pending in this Court shall, contemporaneously with the filing of such papers, apply for admission pro hac vice as set out herein.

(e) Local Counsel. At any time, upon its own motion, the Court may require that a non-resident attorney obtain local counsel to assist in the conduct of the action.

(f) Appearance on Behalf of the United States. Any attorney representing the United States or any agency thereof, having the authority of the government to appear as its counsel, may appear specially and be heard in any case in which the government or such agency is a party, without formal or general admission.

(g) Appearance by the Federal Public Defender. Any attorney employed by the Federal Defender Office of this District may appear specially and be heard in any action in which the Federal Defender has been appointed without formal or general admission.

(h) Continuing Representation. Unless disbarred or suspended, attorneys shall be held at all times to represent the parties for whom they appear of record in the first instance until, after formal motion and notice to such parties and to opposing counsel, they are permitted by order of the Court to withdraw from such representation. The Court may, however, permit withdrawal without formal motion and notice if other counsel has entered an appearance for the party.

(i) Standards for Professional Conduct; Obligations. Attorneys appearing before this Court shall adhere to this Court's Local Rules, the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct, and the Alabama Standards for Imposing Lawyer Discipline. Attorney misconduct, whether or not occurring in the course of an attorney/client relationship, may be disciplined by disbarment, suspension, reprimand, monetary sanctions, removal from this Court's roster of attorneys eligible for practice before it, or such other sanction as the Court may deem appropriate.