Notice of Appearance - District of Columbia
NOTICE OF APPEARANCE
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — CIVIL DIVISION
| Party | Role |
|---|---|
| [PLAINTIFF NAME] | Plaintiff |
| v. | |
| [DEFENDANT NAME] | Defendant |
Case No.: [____________________] Judge: [____________________]
NOTICE
To the Clerk of the Court and all parties:
Please take notice that I, [ATTORNEY NAME], enter my appearance as counsel for
[PARTY NAME] in this matter under D.C. Superior Court Civil Rule 101(b). Serve
papers for my client on me at the contact information below, unless the court
orders otherwise.
Client's role: ☐ Plaintiff ☐ Defendant ☐ Other: [____________________]
Additional counsel, if any: [________________________________]
Date: [__/__/____]
Signature: [________________________________]
Attorney name: [________________________________] D.C. Bar No.: [____________________]
Firm: [________________________________]
Street address: [________________________________]
City, state, ZIP: [________________________________]
Telephone: [________________________________] Email: [________________________________]
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify as a member of the Bar of this court that on [__/__/____] I served a
copy of this notice on the following person(s) by the method and at the address
shown. For a paper served through the court's electronic filing system, Rule
5-I(b) does not require separate proof of that service.
| Person served / represented party | Address or registered user | Method | Date and manner of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
Delivery to assigned judge: ☐ Delivered [date and manner: ____________________] ☐ Not required for this filing
Certificate signature: [________________________________] D.C. Bar No.: [____________________]
BEFORE FILING
Rule 101(b) requires a separate notice of appearance to list counsel's address,
email address, telephone number, and D.C. Bar number. Represented parties
ordinarily file electronically under Rule 5(d)(5)(F), subject to its exceptions.
The court's current filing page directs Civil Division filings to eFileDC.
A notice of appearance does not itself change the time to answer. Under Rule
12(a)(1)(A), a defendant ordinarily must serve an answer within 21 days of
service of the summons and complaint, subject to other time periods in Rule 12,
an applicable statute, or court order. Confirm the deadline in this case.
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
- D.C. Superior Court Civil Rule 101: https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/rules-superior-court/Civil%20Rule%20101.%20Appearance%20and%20Withdrawal%20of%20Attorneys.pdf
- D.C. Superior Court Civil Rules 5, 5-I, and 12: https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-resources/rules-of-the-superior-court
- D.C. Superior Court eFiling: https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/e-filing
About this template
- Last updated
- October 11, 2026
- Citations checked
- October 11, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- District of Columbia
- Category
- Litigation & Court Documents
Legal authority
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 101(a)-(b) (Appearance of Attorneys)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 5(a)-(b), (d)(5) (Service and Electronic Filing)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 5-I (Proof of Service)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1)(A) (Time to Serve an Answer)
These are the filings that drive a lawsuit through the system: complaints, answers, motions, briefs, discovery requests and responses, and post-judgment papers. Each has its own format requirements under federal and state procedural rules, and each has a deadline that cannot be missed without consequences. Clean, procedurally correct filings move a case forward; sloppy ones invite motions to strike, amended responses, and avoidable delays.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 11, 2026.
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 101(b)(1)(B) (checked October 11, 2026): "filing a notice entering the attorney's appearance and listing the attorney's address, e-mail address, telephone number, and D.C. Bar number."
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 101(a) (checked October 11, 2026): "Except as provided by District of Columbia Court of Appeals Rules 48 and 49, only an active member of the District of Columbia Bar may appear in this court in a representative capacity for any purpose other than securing a continuance."
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 5(b)(1) (checked October 11, 2026): "If a party is represented by an attorney, service under this rule must be made on the attorney unless the court orders service on the party."
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 5(a)(1)(E) (checked October 11, 2026): "a written notice, appearance, demand, or offer of judgment, or any similar paper."
Draft your Notice of Appearance - District of Columbia in the editor
Answer a few questions, let the AI editor draft each section from your answers, review it, and download Word and PDF. From $49, one time.