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Frequently Asked Questions (Attorneys)

An attorney who is an active member in good standing of the Utah State Bar. Attorneys employed by or on special assignment for the United States Government and its agencies or employed by a Federal Public Defender’s Office are exempt from this requirement. Federal attorneys may practice before this court in their official capacity as long as they are active members in good standing of any state bar (including the Utah State Bar) or the District of Columbia.

Attorneys who are Utah residents or practice in Utah on a regular basis need to apply and be admitted as members to the Utah State Bar, unless exempt, to be eligible to practice law in the District of Utah. Please visit the Utah State Bar's website for information about the application process.

 
If I attended the annual spring or fall joint admission ceremony for the Utah Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court, was I automatically admitted to the bar of the U.S. District Court?

No. To become a member of this court’s bar, you must complete the online application available at www.pacer.uscourts.gov. Detailed instructions are available on the court's website. After the court reviews the application and verifies the information provided, you will receive an email that includes a link to pay the admission fee. You must pay the admission fee within 30 days from the date of the email. If the fee is not timely paid, your application will be denied and you must submit a new application.

May I take the oath of admissions for the bar of the U.S. District Court before an out-of-state federal judge?

No. The oath of admission is part of the application and is completed online.

Is there an admission fee to become a member of the District Court's bar?
Yes. Please review the Fee Schedule for the current admission fee.
 
How can I get a new Attorney Admission Certificate if I've lost my original certificate?

The Clerk's Office will replace your Attorney Admission Certificate for a fee.  Please review the Fee Schedule for the current cost. To request a new certificate, contact:

Office of the Clerk
U.S. District Court 
351 S. West Temple, Rm. 1.100
Salt Lake City, UT 84101 
Telephone: 801-524-6100

You will need to provide the Clerk's Office with the spelling of your name, your state bar number, the date of your admission to this court’s bar, and a check or credit card number to cover the fee.

 
You can request a Certificate of Good Standing using CM/ECF. Please review these instructions to request a certificate.
 
What is the CJA Panel?
The Criminal Justice Act ("CJA") Panel is a group of qualified and court-approved attorneys who provide indigent defense in criminal cases when the Federal Public Defender’s Office has a conflict of interest. More information is available on the court's webpage.
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Yes. The court charges active members of its bar an annual registration fee of $30. This fee is not included in the annual dues for the Utah State Bar. The fee must be paid online by July 1 each year to maintain active status with the court's bar.

Active and federal attorneys, excluding inactive attorneys, who fail to register between June 1 and July 1, will be unable to electronically file documents in this court as of July 2, their status will change to registration lapsed, and their name removed from the court’s roll of active attorneys. Additionally, a reinstatement fee of $75.00 will be assessed before an attorney’s membership will be reactivated, including federal attorneys.

Attorneys who practice in this court and inactive attorneys must maintain valid and current contact information in PACER, including mailing address, email address, and telephone number. Please review these instructions to update your contact information.

Active Attorneys - Register online and pay the fee between June 1 and July 1. For more information about how to register, please review the Active Attorney Registration instructions.

Federal Attorneys - Register online between June 1 and July 1. To qualify as a federal attorney, an attorney must be employed by (or on special assignment for) the United States Government, its agencies, or a Federal Public Defender’s Office and be an active member in good standing of any state bar or the District of Columbia. For more information about how to register as a federal attorney, please review the Federal Attorney Registration instructions.

Federal attorneys, judges, and inactive attorneys are exempt.
 
How does an inactive member of the court's bar become an active member?

To maintain inactive status, no registration is required. Otherwise, to reactivate bar membership, register online and pay a reactivation fee in an amount determined by the court. For more information about how to reactivate bar membership, please review the Inactive Attorney Registration instructions.

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If I change my mailing address or e-mail address, do I need to notify the court?

Attorneys who practice in this court and inactive attorneys must maintain valid and current contact information in PACER, including mailing address, email address, and telephone number. Notifying the Utah State Bar of your address change will not notify this court of your new address. For more information on how to update contact information in PACER, please review these instructions. Updating contact information in PACER will not notify case participants of any changes to contact information in active cases. To notify case participants of changes a Notice of Change of Address must be filed in CM/ECF.

Generally, an attorney is added to the case docket as an attorney of record for a party when the attorney files a Notice of Appearance of Counsel, waiver, or pleading. To have your name removed as an attorney of record on the case docket, you must proceed under DUCivR 83-1.3 for a limited appearance or DUCivR 83-1.4 for a general appearance.
 
All registered efilers will receive electronic notices from the court. Official court notices will be sent to non-efilers only if there is no efiling attorney representing that party in the same firm. Notices to an efiling attorney is considered notice to non-efilng attorneys in the same firm. Note that the court requires efiling.
 

Unrepresented (pro se) parties may file documents by emai, receive electronic notification of case activity, and be served by email in any case in which they are a party. To sign up for email filing and electronic notification, you must complete the Email Filing and Electronic Notification Form For Unrepresented Parties and email or mail the copy to the clerk's office.

 

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Updated: May 2023