Alabama State Bar Admission Ceremony
We look forward to celebrating you!
Please accept our best wishes as you embark on what we hope will be a long and successful legal career. To honor your outstanding accomplishment, the Young Lawyers’ Section of the Alabama State Bar invites you to attend a formal Admission Ceremony hosted in your honor on Thursday, October 24, 2024, at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. For driving directions, please visit MPAC online or call (334) 481-5100. The ceremony is a wonderful opportunity to share your achievements with your friends and family, as well as a chance for you to make new friends and meet future colleagues. The Supreme Court of Alabama, Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, and Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals will all participate in what we hope and expect will be an informational and inspirational ceremony.
Please complete your registration no later than October 17, 2024.
Ceremony Registration and Payment (Required If Attending)
If you plan to attend the ceremony, please be sure to register and submit your $50 registration fee (non-refundable) through the link below no later than Thursday, October 17, 2024, if you were a July 2023 Admittee. If you were a February 2024 Admittees, please complete your registration no later than September 27, 2024.
ONLY ADMITTEES need to register and pay to attend the Admission Ceremony. Family and guests of admittees are not required to register or pay to attend.
Your registration for the ceremony will not be complete until you have submitted payment Your registration fee is separate from the fee for your formal certificate of admission (more details below) and any admission fees charged by each of the federal courts. As a reminder, ONLY ADMITTEES who plan to attend the Admission Ceremony will need to register and pay.
Arrival Information
Check-in will begin at 8:30 A.M. on the day of the ceremony. After checking in, you may also apply for admission with the three federal district courts of Alabama and pick up your ceremony program.
You should plan to arrive in downtown Montgomery prior to 8:30 A.M. to secure a parking space. The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa, which is connected to the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre, has a parking deck conveniently located for you to use for the day. Alternatively, metered parking is also available on the streets adjacent to the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre. For driving directions, please visit MPAC online or call (334) 481-5100. For those who will be arriving from out‑of‑town and need hotel accommodations, we would recommend that you visit the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa’s website (www.renaissancemontgomery.com) to make reservations, or you can call (877) 545-0311 for more information. There is also an Embassy Suites and a Hampton Inn & Suites that are both located within two blocks of the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre.
Ceremony Photos and Information
The Montgomery Performing Arts Centre prohibits balloons, confetti, and horns/noise makers. Additionally, there will be no readmittance to the theatre once the ceremony begins (per the Supreme Court Marshal’s orders.
During the ceremony, a professional photographer will take a posed photo of each new admittee receiving a certificate on stage alongside the Alabama State Bar President and the Clerk of Court. A link to these photos will be emailed to all admittees about three weeks after the ceremony. The Alabama State Bar has covered the cost of these photos, so you may download and print them at no cost.
Immediately following the ceremony, there will be a group photograph of all new admittees taken in the lobby of the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre that will be published in The Alabama Lawyer magazine. Please proceed straight to the lobby after the Ceremony to ensure you are included in the photo. After the group photo, you and any other lawyers in your family may also have your photo taken for the always popular “Lawyers in the Family” photos that will also be published in The Alabama Lawyer magazine.
There will be several vendors and sponsors present who will have information on and giveaways of their products and/or services. We encourage each of you to visit our sponsors and vendors before and after the Ceremony. The ceremony will commence promptly at 10:00 A.M. and will end by 12:00 P.M.
Formal Certificates of Admission
You may request to purchase a formal certificate of admission from the Supreme Court of Alabama that is signed by the Justices of the Supreme Court of Alabama and issued by the Clerk of the Court. This certificate is separate and apart from certificates of good standing and any other certificates you may receive from the Alabama State Bar. You may submit your certificate request and payment either electronically or by mail by following the instructions on the Court’s website. If you wish to pick up your certificate of admission at the Ceremony, both your request and your payment must be received by the Office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court of Alabama by Thursday, October 17, 2024.
Admission to the United States District Courts
As part of the Ceremony, you have the opportunity to also be admitted and sworn into the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama. While admission into the federal courts is not required, if you anticipate practicing before the Alabama federal courts, this convenient opportunity provides you the most efficient way to be admitted to the courts. You can download the necessary admission forms at the following links:
United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (Instructions Included)
United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama | Instructions
United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama (Instructions Included)
To ensure an efficient registration process, please have your applicable forms and payments completed prior to the morning of the Ceremony. The Young Lawyers’ Section will have attorneys available at the Ceremony to sign admission motions if needed.