Pro Hac Vice Admission in SDNY and EDNY.

SDNY vs. EDNY: Key Differences for Pro Hac Vice.

Pro Hac Vice Requirements in SDNY.

The Southern District of New York does not categorically require local counsel for out-of-state attorneys, but federal pro hac vice admission has specific procedural steps.

Request PACER Filing Privileges First

Local Civil Rule 1.3(j) requires you to request pro hac vice electronic filing privileges through the PACER website before you file anything. Only after that request is made do you electronically file the motion on the court's ECF system and pay the fee. Attorneys who skip this step and try to file first find they have no way to submit the motion.

The Motion and Affidavit

You file a motion for admission pro hac vice electronically through CM/ECF. Under Local Civil Rule 1.3(k), the motion must be accompanied by a supporting affidavit that confirms:

• You are admitted and in good standing in all jurisdictions where you are licensed.
• You have never been convicted of a felony.
• You have never been censured, suspended, disbarred, or denied admission or readmission by any court.
• No disciplinary proceedings are pending against you in any state.
• You state the facts on which the court can decide whether to grant the motion.

SDNY requires that the affidavit be notarized. A proposed order should be attached.

Certificate of Good Standing

Local Civil Rule 1.3(k) requires a certificate of the court for each state in which you are a member of the bar, issued within 30 days of filing. This is rule text, not a courtesy expectation, and both districts enforce it. SDNY further requires that the certificate be issued by the State Supreme Court, except for attorneys admitted in Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont.

The Filing Fee

SDNY charges a $200 pro hac vice admission fee, payable to the court. This is in addition to any local counsel fees if you retain one. The fee is non-refundable and must be paid before your motion is approved.

No Formal Local Counsel Requirement in SDNY

Local Civil Rule 1.3(i) through (k), the joint SDNY and EDNY rule governing pro hac vice admission as amended effective January 2, 2026, does not mandate local counsel. However, the practical reality is different. Some SDNY judges restrict telephonic and video appearances. Some require in-person attendance at all substantive conferences and motion arguments. Without a local attorney in New York, you will be traveling for every single appearance. The cost of frequent travel from out of state can exceed the cost of retaining local counsel from the start.

Link: SDNY Pro Hac Vice Instructions

Judge-by-judge reference: Because individual SDNY judges set their own appearance and motion practices, it helps to know your assigned judge before you plan coverage. Browse the Southern District of New York judges directory for a civil litigator's reference to each judge and courthouse.

Pro Hac Vice Requirements in EDNY.

The Eastern District of New York covers Brooklyn and Long Island. The pro hac vice process is similar to SDNY with minor variations.

The Motion and Affidavit

File your motion for leave to appear pro hac vice electronically through CM/ECF, together with your own affidavit of movant. The affidavit contains the same representations Local Civil Rule 1.3(k) requires in both districts: that you are a member in good standing of the bar of every court where you are admitted, that you have never been censured, suspended, disbarred, or denied admission or readmission by any court, and that you state the facts on which the court can decide the application.

Timing on a New Case

EDNY expects the pro hac vice motion to be filed with the complaint when you are opening a new case. If you file the complaint and let the pro hac vice motion sit, the court can suspend your e-filing privileges until the motion is made. Build the motion before you build the filing, not after.

Do You Need a Sponsoring Attorney in EDNY?

This is a frequent point of confusion, so it is worth stating plainly. EDNY does have a sponsoring-attorney requirement, but it applies to full admission to the EDNY bar, not to pro hac vice. For regular admission, an applicant must file a sponsoring affidavit from an attorney already admitted to the Eastern District who has known the applicant for at least one year, and the applicant and sponsor appear together at an admission hearing.

Pro hac vice is different. To appear pro hac vice in a single EDNY case, you file the motion for leave to appear, your own affidavit of movant, and a certificate of good standing from each state where you are admitted, along with the $200 fee. There is no separate sponsoring-attorney affidavit and no one-year-acquaintance requirement for a pro hac vice appearance. SDNY pro hac vice works the same way. Even so, retaining New York local counsel remains the practical choice in both districts for the reasons set out below, even though neither court requires it for a pro hac vice appearance.

Certificate of Good Standing

Same rule text as SDNY. Local Civil Rule 1.3(k) requires a certificate of good standing from every state where you are admitted, each one issued within 30 days of the filing, attached to your affidavit.

The Filing Fee

EDNY charges a $200 pro hac vice admission fee, the same as SDNY. Like SDNY, the fee is non-refundable and must be paid electronically at the time of filing. Do not confuse it with the $226 fee for regular admission to the EDNY bar, which is a different application with a different process.

Government Attorneys

Local Civil Rule 1.3(l) carves out attorneys for the United States. A Department of Justice attorney admitted in another state may appear in either district without moving for pro hac vice admission. An attorney for another federal agency still files the motion, but the filing fee is waived and the certificates of good standing may be up to one year old rather than 30 days.

Courthouse Geography

EDNY has two main locations: Brooklyn (225 Cadman Plaza East) and Central Islip on Long Island (100 Federal Plaza). Assignments vary by judge and case type. If your case is assigned to a Central Islip judge, you are looking at travel time across the island. A local attorney familiar with both courthouses can manage this logistics without constant out-of-state coordination.

Same Practical Considerations as SDNY

Although EDNY does not formally require local counsel, judges vary in their tolerance for remote appearances. Some will allow telephonic participation in routine matters. Others require in-person attendance. The variability is part of the risk when you appear without local counsel.

Judge-by-judge reference: EDNY practices also vary by judge and courthouse. Browse the Eastern District of New York judges directory for a reference to each Article III judge and whether the assignment sits in Brooklyn or Central Islip.

Why You Should Have Local Counsel Even When It Is Not Required.

SDNY and EDNY do not mandate local counsel under their rules. But operating in federal court without someone on the ground creates hidden costs and logistical headaches.

Travel Costs Add Up Fast

A trip to New York for a 30-minute conference call or motion argument can cost $500 to $1000 in travel and hotel. Do this four or five times during discovery and your true litigation cost rises dramatically. A local counsel engagement, scoped to what your case actually requires, frequently costs less than the travel it replaces.

Judge Preferences and Telephonic Restrictions

Some SDNY judges (particularly in the Manhattan office at 500 Pearl Street) have strict in-person appearance policies for substantive matters. Some EDNY judges will allow video or call-in appearance only for status conferences. Without local knowledge, you may arrive expecting to appear by phone only to be told in-person appearance is required. A local attorney knows the judge's practices.

CM/ECF Filing and Administrative Orders

Each judge issues a local standing order with specific filing requirements, formatting rules, and discovery protocols. These are not always intuitive. A local counsel who practices daily in these courts knows the nuances and catches filing errors before the judge's staff rejects your motion.

Discovery and Scheduling Coordination

Federal discovery is conducted at high speed compared to state court. Rule 26 propound interrogatories and document requests quickly. Depositions are scheduled weeks in advance. A local attorney can coordinate deposition locations, arrange for court reporters familiar with federal court procedure, and ensure your scheduling works across time zones and locations.

Emergency Applications and Temporary Restraining Orders

If you need a TRO or emergency application, you need someone who can be in the federal courthouse within hours, not someone who needs to catch a flight. A local counsel can move on emergency matters with the speed the situation requires.

More on pro hac vice: Pro Hac Vice Local Counsel in New York

Tell Us About Your Federal Matter.

The Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson serves as New York local counsel for out-of-state attorneys in the Southern District and the Eastern District of New York. Frederic R. Abramson has been admitted in New York since November 1997 and holds bar number FA3918 in both districts, so he can sponsor your pro hac vice motion and appear in person at 500 Pearl Street or 225 Cadman Plaza East. Send the case name, the district, and the deadline you are working against, and we will respond the same business day.

State Court Pro Hac Vice Is Different.

This page focuses on federal court (SDNY and EDNY). But if you have a parallel proceeding in New York Supreme Court, pro hac vice works completely differently in state court.

State Court Requires Local Counsel. 22 NYCRR 520.11(c), a Rule of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law, provides that no attorney may be admitted pro hac vice under 520.11(a)(1) to participate in pre-trial or trial proceedings unless the attorney is associated with an attorney who is a member in good standing of the New York bar, and that the New York attorney is the attorney of record in the matter. Federal court is the opposite: neither SDNY nor EDNY requires local counsel for a pro hac vice appearance.

Because the New York attorney is the attorney of record, the practical division of labor differs from a federal pro hac vice appearance, where the out-of-state attorney can carry the case alone.

Full guide: How to File a Pro Hac Vice Motion in New York