The State Bar of Michigan welcomes qualified applicants who are entering the practice of law in this state. All attorneys who practice law in Michigan are required to be active members of the State Bar.

• You must have been sworn in at a circuit court or the Supreme Court to proceed.
• State Bar of Michigan fiscal year is October 1 through September 30.
• A member who joins the State Bar between April 1 and September 30 shall be assessed one-half the full amount of license fees for that fiscal year.
• If you were sworn in in August or September of the current fiscal year and do not intend to practice law immediately, please do not enter your application at this time but return to this site on October 1. If you continue and process your application at this time, you will be billed again for the upcoming fiscal year beginning October 1.
• All new member applications are considered pending until your true or certified copy of the Order of Admission is received.
• State law provides that you are not authorized to practice law until you receive your P number from the State Bar of Michigan.
• A physical address is required by the Supreme Court for your record before you can practice law in Michigan. If you have a directory listing concern, please refer to the contact information change form (PDF).

Out-of-state lawyers seeking to appear before a Michigan court, administrative tribunal or agency, or arbitration proceeding, must comply with Michigan’s pro hac vice rule. Lawyers seeking temporary admission should review MCR 8.126, MCR 9.108, and Rule 15 of the Rules Concerning the State Bar of Michigan. Every lawyer admitted under the pro hac vice rule is subject to the jurisdiction of Michigan's lawyer discipline system. MCR 8.126 provides that an out-of-state lawyer is permitted to appear and practice in no more than five cases in a 365-day period.

Do not begin the application process until you have a combined PDF of the motion papers, see below, and credit card or echeck readily available. The application system does not allow you to edit case information once it is entered. For example, you are not able to enter case information and return to the system to upload documents or otherwise edit the case information previously provided.

To complete your application, you will need to:

• Create an account with your contact information.
• Enter the court, administrative tribunal or agency, or arbitration panel information.
• Enter the Michigan attorney's information.
• Upload a motion prepared and signed by a licensed Michigan attorney seeking your temporary admission.
• Upload a certificate of good standing from one jurisdiction where you are licensed and eligible to practice. Rule of thumb, the certificate should be dated within 60 days of the motion for admission.
• Upload an affidavit, signed by you, in compliance with MCR 8.126.
• Pay the required fee by credit card or echeck.

IMPORTANT NOTES

All documents noted above MUST be uploaded at the time of submission. There is no opportunity to supplement your application; please do not begin the application process until you have compiled all required documents and are prepared to upload them at one time. Your application will not be processed unless all documents are included.

Completing this process does not guarantee temporary admission. Only an order entered by the court, administrative tribunal or agency, or arbitrator allows temporary admission.

New Law Student Section members completing an application must be currently enrolled in an accredited law school.

The membership year is October 1 to September 30. Membership begins immediately. Law students joining the section late in the fiscal year will be billed again for dues due October 1.