Membership Classes & Fees

To practice law or to hold yourself out as licensed to practice in the District of Columbia (as defined in Rule 49 of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Rules), you must be enrolled as an active member of the District of Columbia Bar. See Rule II, Section 4 and Bylaw Article III, Section 3.02.

Inactive members have been admitted to the D.C. Bar and are eligible for active membership but do not practice, or in any way hold themselves out as licensed to practice, in the District of Columbia. Individual membership records will remain on file with the Bar regardless of which membership status is selected.  See Rule II, Section 4 and Bylaw Article III, Section 1. 

Judges of courts of record; full-time court commissioners; U.S. bankruptcy judges; U.S. magistrate judges; other persons who perform a judicial function on an exclusive basis, in an official capacity created by federal or state statute, or by administrative agency rule; and retired judges who are eligible for temporary judicial assignment and are not engaged in the practice of law shall be classed as “judicial” members, except that if a member’s terms and conditions of employment require that he or she be eligible to practice law, then the member may choose to be an active member. See See Rule II, Section 4 and Bylaw Article III, Section 3.02.

Special Legal Consultants licensed by the D.C. Court of Appeals are not members of the Bar, but are considered affiliates of the Bar subject to the same conditions and requirements as are applicable to an active member of the Bar. These persons may render legal services in the District of Columbia, notwithstanding the prohibitions under Rule 49(b), but are subject to specific limitations in practice. For a detailed explanation on their scope of practice, please see D.C. App. R.46(f)(6.

Retired members are those persons who have retired from the practice of law (except, as provided in D.C. App R. 49, on a pro bono basis), or who are totally disabled and unable to practice law, and who have certified that (1) they have been an Active member of the Bar for five years (two years of any combination of Inactive or Judicial membership may be substituted for one year of Active membership to satisfy this requirement); and (2) they have been engaged in the practice of law in the District of Columbia or elsewhere for a total of 25 years. Retired members are eligible to reinstate their membership after certain conditions have been met. See Bylaw Article III, Section 3.02 . Submit a request for Retired membership class here.

Any person who is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and has paid all license fees with no current suspension for disciplinary or administrative violations.

Any person admitted to the Bar based on the COVID-19 Emergency Examination Waiver (D.C. App. R. 46-A). For three years after admission, members admitted under this Rule must practice under the direct supervision of an enrolled active member of the D.C. Bar who (a) has practiced law in the District of Columbia for at least five years; (b) is in good standing, has never been disbarred or resigned from any bar with disciplinary charges pending, and has no pending disciplinary charges in any jurisdiction or court; (c) is the person’s employer, works for the person’s employer or law firm, or works for a non-profit organization in the District of Columbia that provides legal services to people of limited means at no charge or for a limited processing fee; and (d) takes responsibility for the quality of the person’s work and complaints concerning that work. Persons holding this status must also give prominent notice on all business documents that their practice is supervised by one or more D.C. Bar members and that they were “admitted to the Bar under D.C. App. R. 46-A (Emergency Examination Waiver).”

Any person who has been admitted to the District of Columbia in the current fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) and has no current administrative or disciplinary suspensions. See also: Good Standing.

A former member of the Bar who has voluntarily relinquished their membership in good standing.  Resigned members are eligible to reinstate their membership after certain conditions have been met. See Bylaw Article III, Section 3.02.

Any person who has been administratively suspended by the D.C. Bar for failure to remit payment for license fees by the September 30th deadline. See Bylaw Article III, Section 3.02. This is not a disciplinary suspension.

Any person who has been administratively suspended by the D.C. Bar for failure to complete the Mandatory Course on the District of Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct and District of Columbia Practice. See Bylaw Article IV, Section 2. . This is not a disciplinary suspension.

Any person who has been administratively suspended by the DC Bar for both failure to remit payment of annual license fees by the September 30th deadline and failure to complete Mandatory Course requirements. This is not a disciplinary suspension.

Any person whose license has been revoked after undergoing disciplinary proceedings. Information on disciplinary system recommendations and actions for an attorney, including those for disability, can be found here. 

Any person who has been suspended due to a disciplinary violation. This can include temporary or interim suspensions while disciplinary proceedings are still pending. Information on disciplinary system recommendations and actions for an attorney can be found here. 

Any person who has been suspended for disability reasons and administratively for failure to remit payment of annual license fees by the September 30th deadline. Information on disciplinary system recommendations and actions for an attorney, including those for disability, can be found here. 

Any person who has been suspended for both disciplinary reasons as well as administratively for failure to complete Mandatory Course requirements. Information on disciplinary system recommendations and actions for an attorney can be found here. Also see Bylaw Article IV, Section 2.

Any person who has been suspended for both disciplinary reasons as well as administratively for failure to remit payment of annual license fees by the September 30th deadline. Information on disciplinary system recommendations and actions for an attorney can be found here. Also see Bylaw Article III, Section 2(a).

Any person who has been found to have a condition that impairs their ability to provide legal services and/or respond to formal disciplinary proceedings. Information on disciplinary system recommendations and actions for an attorney, including those for disability, can be found here.