Attorney of record
Encyclopedia
An attorney of record is a lawyer
or barrister
who has appeared in court or signed pleadings. The attorney of record in American
or British
court
s remains the official lawyer, until some other attorney replaces him or her. This attorney "has made an appearance on behalf of a party to a lawsuit."
In most U.S. jurisdictions, an attorney must obtain court permission to terminate the status of attorney of record. Attorneys of record cannot absolve themselves of their responsibilities to their clients by sending another attorney in his or her place.
An attorney of record must inform the court, all parties (if pro se), and all other attorneys on the case when the attorney of record withdraws or files a motion to do so.
They must also quickly inform the court
of any change of email
address immediately. An attorney of record must not "abandon" their client.
Attorneys of record have some special privileges in certain courts and types of cases. They are on a short list of people, including the litigants, who may request certified copies
of sealed divorce
decrees.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
or barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
who has appeared in court or signed pleadings. The attorney of record in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
s remains the official lawyer, until some other attorney replaces him or her. This attorney "has made an appearance on behalf of a party to a lawsuit."
In most U.S. jurisdictions, an attorney must obtain court permission to terminate the status of attorney of record. Attorneys of record cannot absolve themselves of their responsibilities to their clients by sending another attorney in his or her place.
An attorney of record must inform the court, all parties (if pro se), and all other attorneys on the case when the attorney of record withdraws or files a motion to do so.
They must also quickly inform the court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
of any change of email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
address immediately. An attorney of record must not "abandon" their client.
Attorneys of record have some special privileges in certain courts and types of cases. They are on a short list of people, including the litigants, who may request certified copies
Certified copy
A certified copy is a copy of a primary document, that has on it an endorsement or certificate that it is a true copy of the primary document...
of sealed divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
decrees.