Attorney Re-Registration

Attorney Re-Registration

Please take notice that at a meeting held on December 13, 2022, the Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts approved a biennial re-registration for all members of the bar effective September 1, 2023. Beginning on that date, admitted attorneys will be required to re-register biennially to continue as active members of our bar. A fee of $50 will be charged at the time of re-registration. All federal government attorneys are exempt from re-registration. Active status in the District Court is required for practice in both the U.S. District Court and in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. Your status at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court MUST be active in order to re-register.

Attorneys will be notified 2 months before a re-registration fee is due through an automated email. All attorneys who were admitted on or prior to September 1, 2021 will have to re-register by September 1, 2023. All attorneys admitted after September 1, 2021 will have to re-register on their biennial anniversary. If attorneys fail to pay their re-registration dues, they will not be able to electronically file. Attorneys can access their CM/ECF account and pay their re-registration fees to enable their filing privilege. The court will not charge any penalties for late payment of fees.


When do I need to re-register?

You will receive an automated email 2 months before your due date notifying you that your re-registration fee will be due. All attorneys who were admitted by regular admission on or prior to September 1, 2021 will have to re-register by September 1, 2023. All attorneys admitted after September 1, 2021 will have to re-register on their biennial anniversary. Re-registration will become available starting on July 1, 2023 for attorneys who owe a re-registration fee on September 1, 2023.


How do I re-register?

Instructions on how to pay the re-registration fee will be provided in an automated email sent to you 2 months before your due date, as well as on the Attorney Re-Registration page. Using the re-registration page, you will be redirected to Pay.gov to pay the fee.


How do I check my current status?

Please use the Attorney Re-Registration page to check your status in our system. Only attorneys who are active or eligible for re-registration will appear in this search.

Information on this page will update as it becomes available. Please continue to check back for the latest information.

Before you send an email, please check the Court's Frequently Asked Questions below. If you cant find the answer to your question, please email attyrereg@mad.uscourts.gov.

Notices
Attorney Re-Registration Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know when I need to re-register?

Attorneys will be required to pay a biennial re-registration fee. You will receive an automated email 2 months before your re-registration due date notifying you that the fee is due. Additional information will be provided at a later date, please check back later.

How much is the re-registration fee?

The biennial re-registration fee is $50.

My address on the re-registration page is incorrect.
Attorneys are responsible for maintaining updated contact information with this Court.

To update your address, you must first link your PACER account to your CM/ECF account if you have not done so already. More information can be found on our website here: https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/caseinfo/nextgen.htm

Once you are linked, you can submit an update request through PACER. Below is the link to manage your contact information through PACER. https://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/pscof/manage/addressUpdate.jsf

Log into Manage PACER Account and update your address. Please send an update request to this Court for approval through PACER. Once that request has been approved and processed, your address will update on the re-registration page.

For assistance, please contact the PACER Service Center: (800) 676-6856 or pacer@psc.uscourts.gov

I was admitted to this Court recently, do I need to re-register?
All attorneys who were admitted by regular admission on or prior to September 1, 2021 will have to re-register by September 1, 2023. All attorneys admitted after September 1, 2021 will have to re-register on their biennial anniversary (2 years from your admission date). You will receive an email notification 2 months before your due date.

I have retired, resigned, or am no longer active in federal court. Do I need to re-register?
No. If you want to change your status to Inactive from Active, the system will automatically change your status to Inactive when payment is not received by the due date. There is no need to contact the Court. You may disregard future requests for payment as they will stop once the account is inactive.

I do not wish to re-register, how do I notify the court?

Attorneys will automatically become inactive for failure to pay the re-registration fee. No further action is required.

I am a federal government attorney, do I owe a re-registration fee?
No, federal government attorneys are exempt from the re-registration fee. Only attorneys admitted by regular admission need to re-register.

I am a federal government attorney, but I am admitted by regular practice, do I owe a re-registration fee?
No, federal government attorneys are exempt from re-registration. If you are not automatically exempt, please notify the court by using our contact us page, or emailing attyrereg@mad.uscourts.gov directly.

I am a state government attorney, do I owe a re-registration fee?
Yes, state government attorneys are not exempt from re-registration and must pay the fee. As a state attorney, you will receive an email notification when it is time to re-register.

I am a Pro Hac Vice attorney, do I owe a re-registration fee?
No, Pro Hac Vice attorneys are exempt from re-registration. Only attorneys admitted by regular admission need to re-register.

Which email will the automated notification be sent to?
The automated email notification will be sent to the email associated with your CM/ECF account. To find the email associated with your account, log into CM/ECF through PACER and access the Maintain Your E-mail link under Utilities. Alternatively, update your e-file and email noticing settings in PACER. Be sure to select the Massachusetts District court when submitting an update. Once the update is sent, wait for the request to be processed by our staff.

How do I check my current bar status?
Use our attorney re-registration page to look up your current bar and re-registration status.

What payment methods are accepted to pay the re-registration fee?

Payment will be made online using the Treasury Department's Internet payment site: Pay.gov. The following payment methods will be accepted:
  • Debit or Credit Card
  • Amazon Pay
  • PayPal
  • Bank Account (ACH)

Can I pay the re-registration fee for multiple attorneys?

At this time, the Court does not offer a way to pay for multiple attorneys. The re-registration fee must be paid individually for each attorney.

Who do I contact if I have questions or need assistance with the re-registration process?

For questions regarding attorney re-registration, please send an email to attyrereg@mad.uscourts.gov.

Can I remain in active status if my Supreme Judicial Court status is inactive or retired?

Attorneys must be active and in good standing with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. If your status at the SJC is Inactive or Retired, then you are no longer in good standing at USDC-MA. Your status will be updated to reflect the same.