US · rules
Fed. Cir. R. 46
Attorneys
(a) Eligibility.
An attorney is eligible for admission to the bar of this court if that
attorney is of good moral and professional character and is admitted
to practice before and of good standing in any of the following:
(1) any of the courts listed in Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure
46(a);
(2) the United States Court of International Trade;
(3) the United States Court of Federal Claims;
(4) the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; or
(5) the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
(b) Procedure for Admission.
(1) Motion in Open Court.
An attorney may be admitted to the bar in open court by
appearing personally with a sponsor who is a member of the bar
of this court and who states the applicant’s qualifications and
moves the admission. Motions for admission to the bar will be
entertained at the opening of each session of court.
(2) Written Motion by Member of the Court’s Bar.
An attorney may be admitted on written motion of a member of
the bar of the court who attests to the applicant’s qualifications.
(3) Written Motion by Attorney.
An attorney may be admitted on that attorney’s own motion,
accompanied by a certificate of good standing from a court listed
in Federal Circuit Rule 46(a). The certificate must be dated
within thirty (30) days of the motion for admission and must
bear the seal of the issuing court. A written motion for
admission must be submitted on a form approved by this court.
The clerk of court will furnish the form.
(4) Oath.
Each attorney admitted to the bar of this court must take an
oath prescribed by the court.
(Return to Table of Contents)
(c) Application, Submission, and Payment.
An attorney seeking admission to the bar of this court must
electronically submit an application for admission in accordance with
the court’s Electronic Filing Procedures. After admission, the
applicant will receive a certificate of admission in the mail. The fees
for admission to the bar and a duplicate certificate are set by the court
and are posted in accordance with Federal Circuit Rule 52(a).
(d) Government Attorney.
An attorney for any federal, state, or local government office or agency
may appear before this court in connection with that attorney’s official
duties without formal admission to the bar of the court.
(e) Change of Name or Contact Information.
An attorney admitted to the bar of this court must promptly update
electronic filing account information to reflect any change of name or
change in contact information.
(f) Disciplinary Action.
Disciplinary action against an attorney will be conducted in
accordance with the Federal Circuit Attorney Discipline Rules.
(g) Law Student Practice.
(1) With the written consent of a party or party’s representative
and a supervising attorney filed with this court, an eligible law
student may enter an appearance on behalf of that party in this
court.
(2) Eligible Law Student.
An individual is eligible to appear under this rule if:
(A) The individual is duly enrolled in a law school accredited
by the American Bar Association and has completed at
least four full-time semesters of legal studies (or the
equivalent), or has graduated from such a law school and
is awaiting the results of the first bar examination or bar
admission process;
(B) The dean of the law school, or a faculty member
designated by the dean, certifies that the individual is of
good character and competent legal ability, and is
(Return to Table of Contents)
qualified to provide the legal representation permitted by
this rule, and the certification is filed with this court;
(C) The individual is familiar with the Federal Rules of
Appellate Procedure, the rules of this court, the
American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional
Conduct, and any other rules relevant to the case in
which the student is appearing; and
(D) The individual certifies compliance with this rule.
(3) Dean Certification.
The certification under Federal Circuit Rule 46(g)(2)(B) may be
withdrawn by the dean or authorized faculty member at any
time by sending notice to that effect to the clerk of court. It is
not necessary that the notice state the cause for the withdrawal.
The certification may be terminated by this court at an y time
without notice or hearing and without any showing of cause.
(4) Supervising Attorney.
To qualify under this rule, a supervising attorney must:
(A) Be a member of good standing of the bar of this court and
enter an appearance in the case;
(B) Sign all documents filed with the court;
(C) Assume full professional responsibility for the quality
and accuracy of the eligible law student’s work in the
case;
(D) Guide, assist, and supervise the eligible law student to
the extent necessary and appropriate;
(E) Ensure that court deadlines are met;
(F) Be prepared to appear and argue regardless of the
eligible law student’s availability; and
(G) Certify compliance with this rule.
(5) Eligible Law Students Not to Be Compensated by Parties.
An eligible law student appearing pursuant to this rule may
neither ask for, nor receive, any compensation or remuneration
of any kind from a party for services rendered in the case. This
rule neither prevents a lawyer, legal aid bureau, law school, or
the government from paying compensation to the eligible law
(Return to Table of Contents)
student, nor shall it prevent these entities from making such
charges for its services as may otherwise be proper.
(6) Eligible Law Student Appearance on Briefs.
An eligible law student appearing pursuant to this rule may
appear on a brief, provided the supervising attorney also
appears on the brief.
(7) Eligible Law Student Participation in Oral Argument.
An eligible law student may participate in oral argument with
leave of court, but only in the presence of the supervising
attorney, who shall introduce the eligible law student at
argument and be prepared to supplement any written or oral
statement that has been made by the eligible law student to this
court or opposing counsel. Any motion filed under this
subsection shall be filed no later than seven (7) days following
the end of briefing and will be deferred to the merits panel. If
leave is sought for an eligible law student to participate in oral
argument, the supervising attorney may include the eligible
law student’s scheduling conflicts when filing their response
under Federal Circuit Rule 34(d)(2).
(8) Exceptions.
This court retains the authority to establish exceptions to these
requirements in any individual case.
History
PRACTICE NOTES TO RULE 46 Form for Written Motion for Admission. Using Federal Circuit Form 21 satisfies the requirements for a written motion for admission under Federal Circuit Rule 46(b)(2) and (3). Forms for Eligible Law Student Practice. Using Federal Circuit Forms 35 and 36 satisfies the relevant requirements under Federal Circuit Rule 46(g). Federal Circuit Form 36 constitutes the eligible law student’s entry of appearance. (Return to Table of Contents)
Provenance
- Source
- uscourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-18
- Edition
- 2026-09-18
- Content hash
1896b271c2d8a81290315b1929411815d7230d74d497fa420b63e3a1b7f5022f
The link goes to the issuing authority’s own document — the one we read to produce this record. Where a source publishes whole titles rather than sections, your browser may need a moment to jump to the provision.
Unofficial copy of government-published law, reproduced from official sources with full provenance. Not an official publication; verify against official sources before relying on it in a filing. Records in the 'guidance' corpus, and only that corpus, are sub-regulatory (interpretive guidelines, survey procedures) and are not binding law. Validity bounds follow each jurisdiction's declared temporalBasis.