Need Local Counsel for Pro Hac Vice Admission?

Attorneys spend an enormous amount of time finding the right local counsel to help them secure pro hac vice admission. Having the right local counsel can make all the difference.

When we are contacted by out of state attorneys about serving as local counsel – we are very selective. We only want to work with law firms and their attorneys when they are capable of handling the representation properly.

Additionally, we only work as local counsel on certain types of cases that we are most familiar with. We focus on criminal cases and quasi-criminal matters including:

• Federal Civil Asset Forfeiture (18 U.S.C. § 981 & Supplemental Rule G):
  • Defending businesses, clinic owners, and individuals against federal in rem bank account freezes and seizure warrants initiated by the DOJ, FBI, DEA, or HHS-OIG.
  • We routinely litigate CAFRA standing, draft verified claims under Supplemental Rule G(5), and challenge deficient forfeiture complaints under Supplemental Rule G(2)(f) and Rule 12(b)(6).
• State Civil Forfeiture (Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act):
  • Enforcing the rigid statutory deadlines under Sections 932.701–932.706, Florida Statutes, including filing immediate demands for Adversarial Preliminary Hearings (APH) within 15 days, enforcing the state’s 45-day complaint filing window, and holding the state to its “beyond a reasonable doubt” trial burden.
• Customs Enforcement & Seizures (19 U.S.C. §§ 1592 & 1595a):
  • Assisting out-of-state trade and corporate counsel in responding to:
    • U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) port seizures
    • drafting administrative Petitions for Remission or Mitigation under 19 U.S.C. § 1618
    • defending against commercial fraud or gross negligence penalties
    • handling federal in rem judicial forfeiture referrals
• Federal & State False Claims Act (Qui Tam) Litigation:
  • Assisting relator’s counsel or defense counsel in False Claims Act proceedings
  • navigating local Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) units within the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida
  • coordinating with state authorities under the Florida False Claims Act (Chapter 68, Florida Statutes).
• Federal & State Criminal Defense:
  • Sponsoring visiting trial attorneys in federal white-collar indictments, healthcare fraud prosecutions, cryptocurrency and financial crimes, and state felony prosecutions across the state.
• Extradition of Witnesses in Florida

When an out-of-state corporate client, executive, or high-net-worth individual faces serious criminal charges, a federal grand jury subpoena, or an aggressive civil asset freeze in Florida, retaining experienced primary counsel from their home jurisdiction makes sense. However, federal and state courts across Florida strictly enforce procedural rules regarding:

In complex litigation, out-of-state counsel does not just need a “mailbox” or a signature on a pleading. You need a local partner who regularly litigates in Florida’s federal district courts and state circuit courts—someone who understands local judicial temperaments and procedures.

At Sammis Law Firm, based in Tampa, FL, our practice is deliberately focused. We do not handle general civil litigation, commercial breach of contract, personal injury, or family law. Instead, we concentrate exclusively on criminal defense and high-stakes quasi-criminal proceedings, including state and federal civil asset forfeiture, customs fraud/CBP penalty defense, qui tam/whistleblower enforcement, and related white-collar investigations.

We regularly act as local sponsoring counsel and substantive co-counsel for out-of-state law firms navigating Florida’s state and federal courts.

For a quick response, fill out the evaluation form on the right side each page on this website. Give us a short description of what you need and an experienced attorney at Sammis Law Firm will return your call.

Navigating Pro Hac Vice Admission in Florida

Retaining local counsel is the statutory and procedural gatekeeper for appearing in Florida courts.

1. Florida Federal District Courts (Middle, Southern, and Northern Districts)
   • Each federal district in Florida has its own local rules, fee schedules, and electronic filing requirements:
     • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers):
       • Under Local Rule 2.01, visiting counsel must file a Motion for Special Admission Pro Hac Vice, submit the required special admission fee ($150), and register for electronic filing privileges through PACER once admitted.
       • While local counsel is no longer strictly mandatory in every routine civil filing under recent local rule revisions, judges in the Middle District routinely expect and prefer out-of-district attorneys to associate with an active member of the Middle District Bar to ensure compliance with local practice and pretrial orders.
     • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach):
       • Strictly mandates local counsel.
       • All filings and pro hac vice motions must be formally submitted through the local sponsoring attorney’s CM/ECF account.
     • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida (Tallahassee, Pensacola, Gainesville):
       • Special admission is handled by formal motion, with local rules requiring familiarity with district-specific case management procedures.
2. Florida State Circuit Courts
   • In Florida state courts, pro hac vice< admission is governed strictly by Rule 2.510 of the Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration and Rule 1-3.10 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar.
   • Mandatory Florida Local Counsel:
     • Visiting counsel must associate with an active member of The Florida Bar in good standing who signs the verified motion and enters a formal appearance of record.
   •  Mandatory Form Pleading:
     • Florida courts require the exact form verified motion promulgated by the Florida Supreme Court, detailing all bar admissions, disciplinary history, and all Florida pro hac viceappearances within the past five years.
   •  Filing Fees:
     • Visiting counsel must pay a nonrefundable $250 fee to The Florida Bar (which generates the necessary PHV appearance number for the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal) and a statutory $100 filing fee paid directly to the local Clerk of Court.
   •  The 3-Appearance Limit:
     • Florida strictly presumes that more than three pro hac vice appearances in separate representations within a 365-day rolling period constitutes the unauthorized, general practice of law in Florida.

Our Role as Local Counsel for Pro Hac Vice Admission

We adapt our local counsel role to the precise needs of lead out-of-state counsel and the client: We clear conflicts immediately and file verified pro hac vice motions within 24 to 48 hours to ensure zero delay in meeting emergency court deadlines.

We provide genuine strategic value—analyzing local administrative orders, local bench preferences, the specific working habits of the local U.S. Attorney’s ACE or Criminal Divisions, and Florida-specific evidentiary nuances.

Depending on your client’s needs, we can handle everything from acting as local sponsoring counsel on the pleadings to serving as active second-chair trial litigators, arguing evidentiary motions, taking depositions, and appearing at pretrial conferences.

We understand and respect the relationship between out-of-state lead counsel and their institutional clients.  We are here to support your team, safeguard local procedure, and help you win the case.

If you are an out-of-state litigator with a client facing a criminal investigation, asset forfeiture seizure, or customs penalty proceeding in Florida state or federal court, contact our central Tampa office at (813) 250-0500 to discuss local counsel association and pro hac vice sponsorship.

This article was last updated on Friday, September 17, 2026.