Editing United States district court (section)

==Attorneys==
[[File:United_States_District_Court_Reciprocity_Map.png|thumb|right|United States District Court Attorney Admissions Reciprocity Map]]
In order to represent a party in a case in a district court, a person must be an [[Attorney at law (United States)|attorney at law]] and generally must be admitted to the bar of that particular court. The United States usually does not have a separate [[bar examination]] for federal practice (except with respect to patent practice before the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]). [[Admission to the bar in the United States|Admission to the bar]] of a district court is generally available to any attorney who is admitted to practice law in the state where the district court sits.<ref group="note">Nearly all district courts have a Local Rule 11.1 or 83.1 that describes the appropriate state judicial institution which admits attorneys to practice (either the state bar association or an office or committee of the state supreme court).</ref>

56 districts (around 60% of all district courts) require an attorney to be admitted to practice in the state where the district court sits. The other 39 districts (around 40% of all district courts) extend admission to certain lawyers admitted in other states, although conditions vary from court to court. For example, the district courts in [[New York City]] ([[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] and [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York|Eastern District of New York]]) extend admission to attorneys admitted to the bar in Connecticut or Vermont and to the district court in that state, but otherwise require attorneys to be admitted to the New York bar. Only 13 districts extend admission to attorneys admitted to any U.S. state bar.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.msba.org/uploadedFiles/MSBA/Member_Groups/Sections/Litigation/USDCTMDSurvey0115.pdf|title=Survey of Admission Rules in Federal District Courts|year=2015|website=U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017234736/http://www.msba.org/uploadedFiles/MSBA/Member_Groups/Sections/Litigation/USDCTMDSurvey0115.pdf|archive-date=October 17, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fedbar.org/Resources_1/Federal-Lawyer-Magazine/2016/September/Attorney-Admission-Practices-in-the-US-Federal-Courts.aspx?FT=.pdf|title=Attorney Admission Practices in the U.S. Federal Courts|last=Okray|first=John|date=September 2016|publisher=The Federal Lawyer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625225523/http://www.fedbar.org/Resources_1/Federal-Lawyer-Magazine/2016/September/Attorney-Admission-Practices-in-the-US-Federal-Courts.aspx?FT=.pdf|archive-date=June 25, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The attorney generally submits an application with a fee and takes the oath of admission. Local practice varies as to whether the oath is given in writing or in open court before a judge of the district. A "sponsor" admitted to the court's bar is often required. Several district courts require attorneys seeking admission to their bars to take an additional bar examination on federal law, including the following: the Southern District of Ohio,<ref>Local Rule 83.3, Local Rules of the Southern District of Ohio.</ref> the Northern District of Florida,<ref>Local Rule 11.1, Local Rules of the Northern District of Florida,</ref> and the [[United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico|District of Puerto Rico]].<ref>Local Rule 83.1, Local Rules of the District of Puerto Rico.</ref>

''[[Pro hac vice]]'' admission is also available in most federal district courts on a case-by-case basis. Most district courts require ''pro hac vice'' attorneys to associate with an attorney admitted to practice before the court.<ref name=":0" />