Attorneys seeking to practice in the District of Colorado, before either the District Court or the Bankruptcy Court, must apply for membership to the Bar of the Court. The Court does not allow pro hac vice admissions – full membership is required. Eligibility is limited to persons licensed by the highest court of a state, federal territory, or the District of Columbia who are on active status and in good standing in all courts and jurisdictions where admitted. See local rule LAttyR 3 for complete details. There are no continuing legal education requirements for the District of Colorado other than what is required in your active licensing jurisdiction; however, a biennial fee is assessed in the fall every other year and failure to pay it will result in administrative removal from the attorney roll. An attorney need not be a member of the bar of the state of Colorado bar, nor is local counsel required to practice in the District of Colorado. Attorneys who intend to practice in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado should review its local rules as its policies may differ from those of the District Court.
Admission to the Bar of U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
Applications for admission to the Court's Bar are submitted through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. Applying through PACER also facilitates registration for electronic filing ("e-filing") into the Court's Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) system. The Attorney Admissions Information page contains detailed instructions and guidance for the entire admissions process and also addresses federal agency attorneys and other technical categories of bar admission.
Administrative Removals
If you have been administratively removed from the Court's Bar, you are no longer considered an admitted attorney in the District of Colorado. Therefore, if you wish to practice again in either the District Court or Bankruptcy Court, you will need to reapply for admission. For further details, visit the Attorney Admissions Information page.
Voluntary Resignations
If you no longer wish to practice in the District of Colorado due to retirement, and for reasons unrelated to pending discipline, complete the Voluntary Resignation form below and email it to cod_attorneyservices@cod.uscourts.gov. If you are a federal agency attorney who is transitioning from government employment to the private sector, resignation may not be necessary unless you know you will not practice in the District of Colorado for the foreseeable future.
Voluntary Resignation form
Other Attorney Information
Application for Readmission / Reinstatement to the Bar
An attorney who has been suspended, disbarred, or otherwise disciplined, or placed on Disability Inactive status or Suspension for Mental or Physical Disability, may apply for reinstatement to the Court's bar. To do so, complete this application and submit to the Attorney Services Division. For more information concerning readmission under these circumstances, visit the Attorney Discipline page. |
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Law Student Appearance Form
Students who are participating in an accredited law school program may request permission to practice before the Court by completing the Law Student Appearance form. The student should submit the form in the case for which the students will appear. Once signed and entered by the Court, the law student may appear in the case. |
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Change of Contact Information Instructions
Changes of contact information are submitted through your PACER account and will update automatically to every CM/ECF NextGen court in which you are admitted. Additionally, you must inform the court and parties to active cases by filing a Notice of Change of Contact Information in any active case for which you are attorney of record [see D.C.COLO.LAttyR 5(c)]. This form is available on the Forms & Instructions page. |
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Attorney Status
The court's Attorney Status tool allows you to search for an attorney by name to verify eligibility to practice in the District of Colorado. Additional information provided includes law firm/organization name, mailing address, phone number, and date of admission. |
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Courtroom Technology Manuals
The Arraj and Rogers Courthouses are well-equipped with electronic evidence presentation systems. Attorneys should familiarize themselves in advance of a scheduled hearing by reviewing our Courtroom Technology Manuals. Attorneys should also arrange for a tech training with the courtroom deputy clerk assigned to the judicial officer presiding over the hearing. |
Courtroom Technology Manual (Arraj) |
Courtroom Technology Manual (Rogers) |
Attorney Lounge
The Attorney Lounge is located on the first floor of the Arraj Courthouse, inside the Jury Assembly Room, and is available to any attorney admitted in the District of Colorado. The access code can be acquired from the Clerk's Office. The lounge offers workspace, internet access, and standalone printers.
The Attorney Lounge is available on a first come, first serve basis and is not eligible for reservation. Note that the lounge is not accessible when the Jury Assembly Room is being used for jury selection (normally on Monday mornings). |
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Attorney Oath of Admission or Ceremony
The application for admission itself precludes the need for a formal oath of admission. Therefore, there is no oath of admission or formal swearing-in ceremony for newly admitted attorneys in the District of Colorado.
Should a local attorney need to be sworn-in per another federal court's admissions requirement, visit the Swearing-In for Admission in Other Federal Courts webpage. |
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Certificates of Good Standing
Requests for Certificates of Good Standing must be submitted through the U.S. District Court's Case Management/Electronic Case Filing system ("CM/ECF"). Certificates of Good Standing are available as electronic documents only. For more details, visit the Requests for Certificates of Good Standing / Requests for Duplicate Bar Certificates webpage. |
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