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DISCLAIMER: All documents on this “Archived 2022 Biennial / Renewal Fee Information” are no longer in effect and will be superseded by new instructions, FAQs, and Notices in the fall of 2024.

CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAYMENT OF THE 2022 BIENNIAL FEE FOR ATTORNEYS

Overview of the Biennial Fee

• The 2022 biennial fee is $60.00.
• The 2022 biennial fee collection is Oct. 1, 2022 - Dec. 31, 2022.
• Attorneys must be considered In Good Standing before they can pay the biennial fee.  To check your bar status, visit the court's Attorney Status page on the website or click here.
• Payment is made through the court’s case management system ("CM/ECF"), as indicated in the instructions above.  The payment is made in the specially-designated case, 22-mc-6000, and NOT a case in which you are currently or in the past have been an attorney of record (i.e., do not file it in a civil case).
• Attorneys must link their PACER and CM/ECF accounts before they can pay the biennial fee.  Click here for instructions.
• Attorneys admitted between January 1st - September 30, 2022, will be required to pay the biennial fee during the collection period.
• The biennial fee is waived for federal agency attorneys, including federal public defenders, and attorneys employed by the U.S. Government in a legal capacity.
• Attorneys practicing before this Court must pay the $60 Biennial/Renewal fee to the U.S. District Court.  They must also have upgraded and linked their District Court ECF account, in addition with the Bankruptcy Court linking that occurred a few years ago.  For linking instructions, see the fifth bullet point instruction above.
• Attorneys who fail to pay the fee by December 31, 2022, will be administratively removed from the court's attorney roll.
  
  • If an administratively-removed attorney wishes to practice before the court later, the attorney must reapply for bar membership and pay the full admission fee.

Authority for the Biennial Fee

General Order 2022-7: Establishment of a Biennial Fee to Assist the Funding of the Federal Pro Se Clinic Program

Frequently Asked Questions

• “How do I pay the biennial fee”
  • Instructions are posted at the top of this page, Instructions for Payment of the 2022 Biennial Fee for Attorneys. Be sure to make the payment in specifically-designated case, 22-mc-6000.

• “When is the last day I can pay the biennial fee?”
  • December 31, 2022.

• “I am a federal attorney. Do I have to pay the biennial fee?”
  • No. The biennial fee is waived for federal agency attorneys including U.S. Department of Justice attorneys, attorneys employed by the Federal Public Defender, and any other attorney employed by the U.S. Government in a legal capacity.  Federal agency attorneys do not need to take any action.  Their bar record's fee status will automatically reflect "Fees waived."  Please note that attorneys on the Court's Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel are not considered federal attorneys.

• “Can I pay the biennial fee over the phone or send a check?”
  • No.  Payment must be rendered on the biennial fee case record, 22-mc-6000, via CM/ECF per the instructions above.

• "I need to link my CM/ECF and PACER accounts, but I don't remember my CM/ECF credentials."
  • Send an email containing the attorney's full name to cod_cmecf@cod.uscourts.gov.

• "I need to link my CM/ECF and PACER accounts, but I don't remember my PACER credentials."
  • The court does not manage PACER credentials. You must reset you PACER credentials through PACER, here.

• “When I log in to CM/ECF to pay the fee, I don’t have the 'Civil' dropdown menu option."
  • You have either not upgraded your PACER account or not linked your CM/ECF and PACER accounts.  Click here for detailed instructions to do so.

• “My attorney status is listed as “Administratively Removed”.  How do I pay the biennial fee?”
  • DO NOT PAY THE BIENNIAL FEE.   If you are administratively removed, you are no longer a member of the court's bar and therefore need not pay the biennial fee.  Instead, you must reapply for admission to the court's bar.  Click here for detailed instructions.

• "While working through the payment instructions, I was not prompted to pay the $60 biennial fee."
  • The court discovered a technical glitch that has been addressed as of Thursday, October 6th.  Please attempt to submit payment again. If you are still unable to work through the payment instructions, send an email to cod_attorneyservices@cod.uscourts.gov.

• "I paid the biennial fee and have a receipt, but my Attorney Status still shows 'Fees Due'."
  • The Clerk's Office has to manually update each attorney's account on the "Attorney Status" page of the court's website [click here] to reflect "Fees paid".  This will take some time as thousands of attorneys are paying the biennial fee, but you will still be able to file in CM/ECF in the meanwhile.

• "How can I confirm that my payment was properly submitted and received?"
  • You will receive a Notice of Electronic Filing ("NEF") at the email address you provided during the payment process.  This is your receipt.  You may also verify whether your fee was paid by checking your fee status on the "Attorney Status" page of the court's website.  Your status will change to "Fee Status: Paid" from "Fee Status: Due."  Please be aware that court staff verify your payment and mark your Attorney Status manually, so it may take up to one week for your Attoeny Status record to reflect this change. You may also verify your payment and receipt number by accessing the biennial fee case record, 22-mc-6000, on PACER.  Open the case and search the docket for your name by pressing CTRL and F.  You should see your name along with payment confirmation and the receipt number.

• “What happens if I don't pay the biennial fee by December 31, 2022?”
  • You will be removed from the court's attorney roll and unable to e-file in this court.  If you wish to practice in this court in the future, you will need to reapply for bar membership and pay the full admission fee.

Court's correspondence to attorneys and law firms regarding the biennial fee