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This page has information about admission to practice in our District, as well as useful forms relative to attorney appearance.

Admission to practice

Prior to applying for admission, please review the Local Rules for Attorney Admissions and Visiting Attorney Admissions.

Fee for Admission to Practice

The fee for permanent attorney admission to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia is $188.00. See LR Civ P 83.1 and LR Cr P 44.1.
The fee for a visiting attorney to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia is $50.00 per appearance. The attorney shall be permitted to appear as a Visiting Attorney in a particular case in association with a Sponsoring Attorney, after the Sponsoring Attorney files the Statement of Visiting Attorney form available on this Court’s website. See LR Civ P 83.6 and LR Cr P 44.6. [Note: A motion to appear pro hac vice is no longer necessary.]
In addition to the district court visiting attorney fee, the visiting attorney is also responsible for the payment of the West Virginia State Bar pro hac vice fee imposed by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. This fee is payable to the West Virginia State Bar and is not payable to the Clerk of the District Court. The fee must be paid to the West Virginia State Bar prior to the filing of the Statement of Visiting Attorney form with our Court.
The address for the West Virginia State Bar is: 2000 Deitrick Boulevard, Charleston, WV 25311. The telephone number is 304/553-7220. The web site address is: http://www.wvbar.org.

Forms relative to Attorney appearance

Procedure for Filing a Statement of Visiting Attorney and Designation of Local Counsel for Bankruptcy Matters in the District Court

Certificate of Good Standing

A Certificate of Good Standing attests to an attorney's admission to practice and current status of good standing before the bar of this Court. The fee for each certificate is $20.00.
 
To receive a Certificate of Good Standing, send a formal written request to:
 
Clerk of U. S. District Court
Southern District of West Virginia
P. O. Box 2546
Charleston, WV 25329
 
Include a check or money order made payable to "Clerk, U.S. District Court." Or, include appropriate payment information for VISA, MasterCard, or American Express.
 
PLEASE NOTE:
 
A Certificate of Good Standing issued by the Clerk's Office applies to attorney status only. If you need to obtain corporate or business status information, please contact the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office at 304/558-8000 or refer to their website at www.sos.wv.gov.

Requesting Attorney Admission and E-File Registration in PACER