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Attorney Admission Information

Certificate for Admission


Local Rule 83.2 A governs admission to practice in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. An attorney seeking to be admitted to practice in this court must comply with the following:

1. You must obtain a movant who is an attorney admitted to practice in this court and is a member in good standing. The admittee and movant must be present in court. The movant will orally move your admission before a United States District Judge.

2. You will apply for admission through PACER. With your application, you must submit a completed Certification for Bar Admission for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (link here) as well as one current certificate of good standing from the bar or the court in which you primarily practice. Once your application is reviewed, the Clerk’s Office will contact you to provide the available dates and times of admission ceremonies as well as instructions on how to pay the attorney admission fee of $209.00.

 


Local Rule 83.2 B governs pro hac vice admissions to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.  An attorney seeking pro hac vice admission to practice in this court must comply with the following:

1.  Prior to the filing of any motion to appear pro hac vice, the attorney seeking to be admitted pro hac vice must become a registered user of the Western District of Pennsylvania's ECF system. An attorney seeking to be admitted pro hac vice should NOT complete the application for general admission to practice through PACER when registering to e-file.

2. A motion for admission pro hac vice must be filed by the attorney seeking to be admitted and must be accompanied by an affidavit from the moving attorney (hereinafter the “affiant”). The affidavit must include the affiant’s name, law firm affiliation (if any), business address, and bar identification number.

3. The affidavit must list the bars of any state or of any United States court of which the affiant is a member in good standing. The affiant must attach to the affidavit one current certificate of good standing from the bar or the court in which the affiant primarily practices. The affidavit also must list and explain any previous disciplinary proceedings concerning the affiant’s practice of law that resulted in a non-confidential negative finding or sanction by the disciplinary authority of the bar of any state or any United States court.

4.  The affiant must pay the pro hac admission fee of $70 per attorney at the time of filing of the motion.

5.  The motion for admission must contain certification that the affiant has read, knows and understands the Local Rules.

The Court will not rule on motions for admission pro hac vice that do not meet the above requirements.