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Bar Admission
Since 1951, over 37,000 lawyers have been admitted to membership in the Bar of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. A lawyer who seeks admission to the Bar of the Court must be a member of the Bar of a Federal court or the highest court of a State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or the District of Columbia. The Code of Professional Responsibility of the American Bar Association has been adopted by the Court to govern practice by the Bar.

Application for Admission to Practice | Download a Fillable PDF


Rule 13. Qualifications to Practice

(a) No attorney shall practice before this Court unless the attorney has been admitted to the Bar of this Court or is appearing pro hac vice by leave of the Court. See Rule 38(b).

(b) It shall be a requisite to the admission of attorneys to the Bar of this Court that they be a member of the Bar of a Federal court or of the highest court of a State, Territory, Commonwealth, or Possession, and that their private and professional character shall appear to be good.

(c) Each applicant shall file with the Clerk an application for admission on the form prescribed by the Court, together with an application fee of $50 and a certificate from the presiding judge, clerk, or other appropriate officer of a court specified in (b) above, or from any other appropriate official from the Bar of such court, that the applicant is a member of the Bar in good standing and that such applicant's private and professional character appear to be good. The certificate of good standing must be an original and must be dated within one year of the date of the application.

(d) If the documents submitted demonstrate that the applicant possesses the necessary qualifications, the Clerk shall so notify the applicant and he or she may be admitted without appearing in Court by subscribing a written oath or affirmation. However, if the applicant so elects, the admission may be on oral motion by a member of the Bar of this Court in open court. Upon admission, the Clerk shall issue to the attorney a wallet-size admission card and a certificate of admission suitable for framing.

Note: Group Applications - If submitting group applications for an in-court admissions ceremony, a POC must be provided to USCAAF for processing and coordination. To properly review and process applications, packages must be received no later than 2 weeks prior to requested swearing in date. Mail is inspected off site prior to arrival at USCAAF, and can be delayed for up 2 weeks or more.

The mailing address for the submission of application is:

Clerk of the Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
450 E Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20442-001


 
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces • 450 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20442-0001
(202) 761-1448 / DSN 763-1448 • (202) 761-4672 fax