The requirements regarding admission to practice in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (“Bankruptcy Court”) are contained in Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090-1. (The Local Bankruptcy Rules are located under the Rules & Forms tab.) Please review the Rule as well as the information on this page carefully.

In 2019, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia amended the Local Rules to require all Bankruptcy Court Bar members to be members of the Bar of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (“District Court”), or, if applicable, the Bar of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. Attorneys who were admitted to the Bankruptcy Court as of September 1, 2019, were required to complete certain actions on or before January 8, 2021, to remain in good standing. To accommodate attorneys who failed to comply with this deadline, the Court temporarily implemented a reinstatement process, which was discontinued effective December 1, 2024.

Accordingly, attorneys who lost the privilege to practice in the Bankruptcy Court for failure to comply with the January 8, 2021 deadline and were not reinstated before December 1, 2024, are not in good standing and prohibited from practicing in the Bankruptcy Court without becoming readmitted. For information on readmission, please see the information below and review the provisions of Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090-1 applicable to you.

If you are an attorney who was admitted pro hac vice to the Bankruptcy Court Bar prior to November 16, 2020, and the case or proceeding is still active, but you no longer have access to CM/ECF, you will be automatically reinstated with limited CM/ECF filing privileges upon your (or local counsel’s) submission of a PDF copy of the Pro Hac Vice Order of Admission entered in an active case or proceeding to the Clerk’s Office via email to AdmissionQuestion@vaeb.uscourts.gov.

General Admission/Readmission – Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090-1(B)

Attorneys seeking admission or readmission to the Bankruptcy Court under Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090-1(B) must be admitted to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia before submitting the Application to Qualify to the Bankruptcy Court. Applications to Qualify (available below in the Attorney Forms section) must be submitted in paper form to the Clerk’s Office. If you submit an Application to Qualify by email, your application will be rejected.

If you have questions regarding the status of your admission to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, please contact the Clerk’s Office for the District Court in the Division in which you were admitted:

Alexandria Division: 703-299-2101

Richmond Division: 804-916-2200

Norfolk/Newport News Division: 757-222-7202

Attorneys admitted in the Western District of Virginia – Local Bankruptcy Rule 2020-1(E)(1)

Attorneys seeking admission or readmission to the Bankruptcy Court based upon Certificates of Good Standing from both the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia must submit these documents in paper form to the Clerk’s Office. You also must submit a signed Certificate of Member of Bar of Western District of Virginia (available below in the Attorney Forms section) with your Certificates of Good Standing from both the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia. If you submit your certificates by email, your request for admission thereon will be rejected.

If you have questions regarding the status of your admission to the United States District Court or Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia, please contact the appropriate Western District of Virginia Clerk’s Office.

Government Attorneys – Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090-1(E)(4)

Federal government attorneys who wish to appear pursuant to the authority of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or the United States Trustee for Region 4 or who represent the United States government or any agency or employee may either practice in the Bankruptcy Court upon submission of a Certification of Qualifying Government Employment under Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090-1(E)(4) or become admitted under Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090-1(B) or (E)(1). The Certification of Qualifying Government Employment (available below in the Attorney Forms section) must be submitted in paper form to the Clerk’s Office. All other government attorneys must become admitted to the Bar of the Bankruptcy Court under Local Bankruptcy Rule 2090-1(B) or (E)(1).

Questions

Questions may be submitted by email to AdmissionQuestion@vaeb.uscourts.gov. Please do not call the Clerk’s Office or Judge’s Chambers with questions regarding these matters

Attorney Forms: