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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. Practice by the Bar will be governed by Rule 15 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure of this Court.

Application for Admission to Practice | Download a Fillable PDF

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Rule 13. Qualifications to Practice

(a) No attorney may practice before the Court unless the attorney is admitted to the Bar of the Court or appears pro hac vice by leave of the Court. See Rule 38(b).

(b) To be admitted to the Bar of the Court, an attorney must be a member in good standing of the Bar of the highest court of a State, the District of Columbia, or a Territory, Commonwealth, or Possession of the United States.

(c) Each applicant must file an application for admission on the form prescribed by the Court. The application must include an application fee in an amount prescribed by Court order and a certificate of good standing from the presiding judge, clerk, or other appropriate officer of the court specified in (b) above, or the Bar of such court. The certificate of good standing must be an original, unless the jurisdiction only issues electronic certificates, and must be dated within ninety days of the date of the application.

(d) If the documents submitted demonstrate that the applicant possesses the necessary qualifications and that such applicant's private and professional character appear to be good, the Clerk notifies the applicant and he or she may be admitted without appearing in Court by subscribing a written oath or affirmation. If the applicant so elects, a member of the Bar of the Court may make an oral motion for admission in open court. Upon admission, the Clerk issues a wallet-size admission card and a certificate of admission suitable for framing to the attorney.

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Note 1: Applicant must submit with this completed form a check for $50 payable to Clerk of the Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (USCAAF), together with an ORIGINAL SIGNED certificate from the presiding judge, clerk, or other appropriate officer of the court listed in question 10, or from any other appropriate official from the Bar of such court, that the applicant is currently a member of the Bar in good standing. The certificate must be dated within one year of the date of this application. See Rule 13 of the Court's Rules of Practice of Procedure.

Note 2: 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