On August 13, 2018, the Western District of Arkansas upgraded to the NextGen electronic case filing system. All attorneys who wish to e-file in the Western District of Arkansas must have an upgraded individual PACER account. Click here for information on upgraded individual PACER accounts.
**The instructions below are ONLY for attorneys who have not previously been admitted in this District. If you are already admitted to the Western District of Arkansas and were previously able to e-file prior to our NextGen implementation, DO NOT apply for admission or register for e-filing permissions via PACER. Instead, please follow the instructions on our NextGen page in order to link your upgraded PACER account to your ECF account.**
Attorneys Admitted to Practice in the Eastern District of Arkansas
Attorneys who are admitted to practice in the Eastern District of Arkansas and have an upgraded individual PACER account only need to apply for E-Filing privileges in the Western District of Arkansas.
***Click here for E-Filing instructions
Full Admission
To be admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, an attorney must apply for admission electronically through PACER (see instructions below). Attorney admission to the Western District of Arkansas requires a $223.00 application fee (effective December 1, 2023). The following documents should be converted to PDF and uploaded as part of the application process.
- Certificate(s) of Good Standing
Arkansas attorneys are required to upload a current (within thirty days of the application) certificate of good standing issued by the Clerk of the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Out- of-State attorneys are required to submit a current (within thirty days of the application) certificate of good standing issued by each state bar to which the attorney has been admitted to practice, and a certificate of good standing issued by the Clerk of the United States District Court where the attorney is enrolled.
***Click here for Attorney Admission registration instructions.
Pro Hac Vice Admission
Pursuant to Local Rule 83.5, to be admitted to practice Pro Hac Vice in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, a Motion to Appear Pro Hac Vice must be filed. All Motions for Pro Hac Vice admission require a $100.00 application fee for each request (effective September 1, 2013).
A non-resident attorney may have local counsel e-file the motion in CM/ECF. The Motion to Appear Pro Hac Vice event will direct the filer to pay the $100.00 application fee online using pay.gov. The order granting the motion will direct the attorney to apply for Pro Hac Vice status via PACER.
A non-resident attorney may apply for Pro Hac Vice status in PACER prior to Court approval. The non-resident attorney will be instructed to file the motion after the Clerk approves the PACER application.
An attorney who has previously been approved to practice Pro Hac Vice in the Western District of Arkansas does not need to re-apply for subsequent PHV appearances through PACER; however, the attorney must file a Motion to Appear Pro Hac Vice in each new case in which he/she seeks to appear. Attorneys will need to make sure their individual, upgraded PACER account is linked to their ECF account in this District in order to file.
***Click here for Pro Hac Vice application instructions.
Federal Attorneys
Federal attorneys who would like to be admitted to our district should go to PACER.gov and apply for e-filing privileges in the Western District of Arkansas.
***Click here for Federal Attorney registration instructions.
Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Attorneys
***Please click here for information regarding practicing as a CJA attorney.