S.D. · M.D. · N.D. Fla. · Eleventh Circuit
Florida’s three federal districts do not agree with each other.
One requires local counsel and bars you from CM/ECF. Two do not require local counsel at all. The fees are different, the appearance limits are different, and the filing mechanics are different. Here is each one, with the rule.
Where local counsel is actually required
The Southern District of Florida requires it: Special Rule 4(b)(1) has a pro hac vice motion “filed and served by co-counsel admitted to practice in this District,” and 4(b)(3) requires the motion to designate a member of that court’s bar authorized to e-file, on whom filings are served and who must file and serve all documents. The Middle and Northern Districts do not require local counsel — the Northern District says so on its own attorney page.
Southern District of Florida
Local counsel requiredRule 4(b)(4) lets an attorney already admitted pro hac vice appear for additional parties in the same case by notice, with no additional fee, so long as the sponsoring co-counsel information stays current.
Middle District of Florida
No local counsel requiredYou must already be a member in good standing of some U.S. district court bar. Rule 2.01(d) also allows temporary admission of up to 30 days for an emergency, if you move for special admission within seven days.
Northern District of Florida
No local counsel requiredRule 11.1(D) has an emergency exception permitting filing or appearance while admission is being sought. Rule 11.1(E) lets the court require a local-rules and e-filing tutorial by administrative order, and the court has done so.
Side by side, with state court for contrast
| Court | Local counsel required? | Who e-files? | Appearance limit | What the court or Bar charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida state courts | Yes — Rule 2.510(a) | Local counsel, until The Florida Bar issues your PHV number — including the admission motion itself | More than 3 in separate cases per 365 days is presumed a “general practice” | $250 to The Florida Bar + $100 to the clerk |
| S.D. Fla. | Yes — Special Rule 4(b) | Local counsel — pro hac vice attorneys may not register as CM/ECF users here | More than 3 pro hac vice motions in separate cases per 365 days | $250 |
| M.D. Fla. | No | You do, after special admission under Local Rule 2.01(c) | No cap — 36-month appearance disclosure instead | $150 |
| N.D. Fla. | No | You do, after admission registration — L.R. 11.1(C) | Not in the rule | $219 |
As published by each court and by The Florida Bar, August 2026. The $250 goes to the Bar, not the court; the $100 is the statutory clerk fee under Fla. Stat. § 28.241(6). None of it is my fee, which is quoted separately and in writing.
Florida state court is the strict one
Local counsel is mandatory, the Bar fee applies, the three-appearance presumption applies, and you cannot file your own admission motion. If your federal case has a companion state action — and removed cases usually do — that is where the real exposure sits. Read the pro hac vice guide.
In the Middle and Northern Districts, you don’t need me
I will tell you that on the first call rather than after the engagement letter. There are still reasons to retain local counsel there: hearing coverage without a flight, a Florida read before filing, and the state-court side of a removed case. If none of that applies, you have your answer and it cost you an email.
Eleventh Circuit
Admission to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is separate from any district admission, and Rule 2.510’s requirement that you move again “in each court in which a case is filed” has a federal analogue in practice: an appeal is its own admission question. I am admitted to the Eleventh Circuit and can associate on the appeal as well as below.
Bankruptcy courts run their own rules. The Southern, Middle and Northern District bankruptcy courts each have separate local rules on appearance and admission — ask before you assume the district court rule carries over.
Which district is your case in?
Send the case number. I will tell you whether the rule requires local counsel there, what the court charges, and whether it is worth retaining me anyway.
Check my district
Send the case number and I will tell you what that court actually requires.