| name | notice-of-appearance |
| language | en |
| description | Drafts a Notice of Appearance of Counsel for federal or state court with caption formatting, bar admission verification, e-filing signatures, and certificate of service. Use when an attorney is entering, substituting, or joining as counsel of record in litigation. |
Notice of Appearance of Counsel
Drafts a court-ready Notice of Appearance establishing attorney representation on the record with proper caption, service certificate, and jurisdictional compliance.
Prerequisites
Collect before drafting:
- Case documents — complaint, answer, or docket sheet with full caption, case number, judge assignment
- Attorney details — name, firm, bar number, contact info, e-filing registration
- Jurisdiction — federal (FRCP) vs. state vs. specialized tribunal
- Appearance type — initial, substitution, or additional counsel
- Service list — all counsel of record and pro se parties with addresses/emails
Quick Start
- Extract case info from uploaded documents (caption, case number, judge, parties)
- Determine jurisdiction and appearance type
- Draft notice using template below
- Apply correct signature convention
- Run pre-filing checklist
Core Workflow
1. Extract Case Information
Search uploaded documents for:
| Field | Source |
|---|
| Court name (district/division) | Caption of complaint or answer |
| Party names (exact spelling) | Caption |
| Case/docket number | Caption or docket sheet |
| Judge assignment | Docket sheet or case management order |
| Existing counsel of record | Docket or prior filings |
2. Determine Jurisdictional Requirements
| Jurisdiction | Key Variations |
|---|
| Federal | District + division in caption; FRCP 11 authority; may require separate federal bar number |
| State | Department numbers, case-type codes, category designators vary by state |
| Pro hac vice | Reference granting order; identify local co-counsel if required |
Flag if substitution requires a separate motion or court approval before becoming effective.
3. Draft the Notice
[COURT CAPTION — exact jurisdiction formatting]
NOTICE OF APPEARANCE OF COUNSEL
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that [Attorney Full Name], of [Law Firm Name],
hereby enters an appearance as [counsel of record / additional counsel /
substitute counsel] for [Party Name], [Designation], in the
above-captioned matter, pursuant to [Rule Citation].
[If substitution: "This appearance is filed in substitution for
[Prior Counsel Name], who [has filed a motion to withdraw /
has been granted leave to withdraw by order dated ___]."]
Attorney Information:
Name: [Full legal name as registered with bar]
Firm: [Complete firm name]
Address: [Street address — no P.O. Box unless local rule permits]
Phone: [With area code]
Fax: [If required by court]
Email: [E-service designated address]
Bar No.: [State bar number]
E-File ID: [If required by local rules]
[Signature Block]
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on [Date], a true and correct copy of the
foregoing Notice of Appearance of Counsel was served upon all
counsel of record and pro se parties via [method] at the addresses
listed below:
[Service List — Name, Firm, Address, Email for each recipient]
/s/ [Attorney Name]
4. Signature Convention
| Filing Method | Format |
|---|
| Paper | Original ink signature + printed name + bar number |
| E-filing | /s/ Attorney Name or court-specific digital signature |
Include bar admission or pro hac vice attestation per court requirements.
Pre-Filing Checklist
Pitfalls
- Caption precision — rejection risk if formatting deviates from local rules; verify against court website or ECF
- Corporate entities — verify exact legal name against secretary of state records
- Multiple parties — list each represented party separately; flag conflicts
- Government parties — check for special appearance rules or sovereign immunity
- Timing — entry of appearance subjects attorney to all existing case deadlines immediately
- Never assume local rule details — prompt user to confirm jurisdiction-specific formatting if not determinable from documents
Key changes made:
- Frontmatter: Removed
tags (not in the spec), tightened description to be concise with clear trigger guidance
- Added Quick Start: Five-step summary for fast orientation before the detailed workflow
- Flattened structure: Renamed "Process" → "Core Workflow", removed "Step N:" prefix noise, used simple numbered headers
- Consolidated "Signature Block Rules" into a lighter "Signature Convention" section
- Renamed "Guidelines" → "Pitfalls": Aligns with best-practice section naming; removed "Retain conformed copy" (operational advice, not a drafting pitfall)
- Trimmed redundancy: Removed "Pending deadlines/standing orders" from the extraction table (already in checklist), tightened wording throughout
- Reduced from 120 → ~96 lines while preserving all domain-critical content
Want me to retry writing the file, or is the output above sufficient?
