Local Counsel

Sometimes a party wants – or needs – to litigate in the courts of Virginia or the District of Columbia using an out-of-state attorney as their primary counsel.

While this is quite common, the out-of-state lawyer must obtain permission from the specific court in which he is seeking to appear, and the party must also hire a Virginia or D.C.-licensed attorney as “local counsel.”

In Virginia courts, the local counsel must sign all pleadings, motions, or other papers filed or served in the matter, and must personally appear, along with the outside counsel, at court hearings.  In D.C. courts, the local counsel must “supervise” the outside counsel to make sure he complies with D.C.’s ethical rules.

Similarly, a party litigating in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia also requires a local counsel who is admitted to practice in that court.  Such a local counsel must sign all pleadings and filings and must accompany the out-of-state counsel to all appearances before the E.D. Va.

Isaac Post Law PLLC provides local counsel services to lawyers around the country who need to serve their clients’ interests in the courts of Virginia, the District of Columbia or the E.D. Va.  With his extensive knowledge of the rules of civil procedure and of local civil practice, Isaac Post can help outside counsel navigate the particularities of these courts’ rules and comply with their ethical duties.