N.D. Fla. · Pro hac vice · Updated August 2026
The Northern District of Florida does not require local counsel either.
Local Rule 11.1(C) is four sentences long. You move, you pay, you file proof of bar membership, and you comply with Florida law on the unauthorized practice of law.
Do I need local counsel in the Northern District of Florida?
No. The Northern District of Florida states on its own attorney information page that attorneys should file their own motion to appear pro hac vice after their registration is processed, and that local counsel is not required. Local Rule 11.1(C) requires only that the attorney be a member in good standing of the bar of a jurisdiction where the attorney resides or regularly practices, pay the fee set by administrative order, and file proof of bar membership in the form the Clerk directs. The fee is $219 per case, per attorney, with no renewal fee.
“An attorney who is a member in good standing of the bar of a jurisdiction where the attorney resides or regularly practices law may file a motion in a case for leave to appear pro hac vice. The attorney must pay the fee set by administrative order and must file proof of bar membership in the form the Clerk directs. Admission pro hac vice does not change the attorney’s obligation to comply with Florida law on the unauthorized practice of law.”N.D. Fla. Local Rule 11.1(C)
The details
Divisions
Gainesville, Panama City, Pensacola and Tallahassee.
A caution in the rule itself
Rule 11.1(C) closes by reminding you that admission pro hac vice does not change your obligation to comply with Florida law on the unauthorized practice of law — which is a live question if the same matter has a state-court side.
Questions specific to this district
Can I join the Northern District bar instead?
Only if you are a member of The Florida Bar. Local Rule 11.1(A) conditions district-bar membership on Florida Bar membership, which is why out-of-state counsel appear under 11.1(C) rather than joining.
Are there renewal fees?
The court states that the Northern District of Florida does not have renewal fees. The $219 is per case, per attorney.
What if my hearing is before admission is granted?
Local Rule 11.1(D) contains an emergency exception permitting filing or appearance while admission is being sought. Read it against your actual deadline before assuming you are covered.
Florida state court is different — local counsel is mandatory
If this matter has a companion state action, or it was removed and could be remanded, Rule 2.510 applies there in full: a Florida Bar member must be associated as attorney of record, the $250 Bar fee and $100 clerk fee apply, and you cannot e-file your own admission motion. Read the pro hac vice guide.
Counties in this district: Leon County — Second Judicial Circuit · Alachua County — Eighth Judicial Circuit · all counties
A N.D. Fla. matter?
Send the case number and the next deadline. Conflicts run first, and if the answer is that you do not need local counsel here, that is the answer you get.
Retain local counsel — N.D. Fla.
Case number, parties, and the deadline driving it.