(a) General. The Executive Committee will approve the format of the appearance form to be used. The Clerk shall provide copies of the forms on request.
(b) Who Must File. Except as otherwise provided in these rules, an appearance form shall be filed by every attorney or senior law student who represents a party in any proceeding brought in this Court, whether before a district judge or magistrate judge. No appearance form need be filed by the United States Attorney or any Assistant United States Attorney where the appearance is on behalf of the United States, any agency thereof or one of its officials. The United States Attorney’s Office must provide the name of a designated Assistant United States Attorney who is to receive electronic notices of Court proceedings in addition to the notices received by the United States Attorney’s central e-mail account.
(c) Appearance by Firms Prohibited. Appearance forms are to list only the name of an individual attorney. The Clerk is directed to bring to the attention of the assigned judge any appearance form listing a firm of attorneys rather than an individual attorney. For the purposes of this rule, an individual attorney who practices as a professional corporation may file the appearance as the professional corporation.
(d) When to Be Filed. An attorney required by these rules to file an appearance form shall file the form prior to or simultaneously with the filing of any motion, brief or other document in a proceeding before a district judge or magistrate judge of this Court, or at the attorney’s initial appearance before a district judge or magistrate judge of this Court, whichever occurs first.
Where the appearance is filed by an attorney representing a criminal defendant in a proceeding before a district judge or magistrate judge, the attorney shall serve a copy of the appearance on the United States attorney.
(e) Penalties. If the Clerk determines that an attorney who has filed documents or appeared in court has not filed the appearance form required by this rule, the Clerk will notify the district judge or magistrate judge before whom the proceedings are pending. An attorney who fails to file an appearance form where required to do so by this rule may be sanctioned.
(f) Emergency Appearances. An attorney may appear before a district judge or magistrate judge without filing an appearance form as required by this rule where the purpose of the appearance is to stand in for an attorney who has filed or is required to file such a form and the latter attorney is unable to appear because of an emergency.
(g) Attorney ID Numbers. The number issued to members of the Illinois bar by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, or such other number as may be approved by the Executive Committee, shall serve as the attorney’s identification number. The Clerk shall issue identification numbers to attorneys who are not members of the Illinois bar.
Amended June 24, 2009 and December 23, 2016