1. What is attorney registration?
The attorney registration process is governed by Section 2-27(d) of the Connecticut Practice Book and occurs each year from the beginning of January until the beginning of March. The registration requirement applies to:
all Connecticut attorneys except those who are deceased, disbarred, resigned or on inactive (disability) status;
pro hac vice attorneys; and
authorized house counsel.
The registration process collects information about the attorney, including office and home addresses and trust account identification information and compliance with MCLE requirements.
Top

2. How do I register?
The overwhelming number of attorneys and authorized house counsel register online through Judicial Branch E-Services. An attorney must be enrolled into E-Services before using the system to register online. Pro hac vice attorneys are not given access to E-Services; they register by paper form. Attorneys located in foreign countries, including U.S. territories, are also prohibited from using E-Services; they also register by paper form.
Top

3. I enrolled into E-Services. Is this the same as registering? 
No. Enrollment in E-Services does not constitute compliance with registration. They are separate processes. An attorney must be enrolled into E-Services to use the system to register online. Changes to E-Services enrollment information do not change registration information, which must be done separately.
Top

4. Is the information I register public? 
All information obtained from the registration process is public except for the registration form itself (including the online form), the change of information form, trust account identification information, home address information and the attorney’s date of birth. In 2012, we will also collect business telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. The phone number will be public information. The e-mail address will be non-public information.
Top

5. How do I change my registered information after the annual registration concludes? 
An attorney may change registered information in one of two ways. The preferred method is to log into E-Services and choose Change of Information. Make the changes on the electronic form that appears and submit it.
The other way is to select the paper Change of Information Form JD-GC-10. Fill out the form and mail it to the Statewide Bar Counsel’s office. If you are changing your name, you must use the paper form and provide proof of the name change with your filing. The proof can be in the form of a government issued I.D., marriage certificate or court order.
Please note that the principal of a firm must change the address associated with the firm’s juris number using Form JD-ES-145, Law Firm Juris Number Application or Changes.
Top

6. How do I get exempted from having to register through E-Services? 
Attorneys may request an exemption from E-Services through Form JD-CL-92. Please note that exemption from online registration is not the same as being exempt from registering, only that the attorney does not have to register online. Exempt attorneys will register on the paper form.
Attorneys who are not exempted from mandatory electronic registration will receive a paper notice and email reminder from the Judicial Branch when it is time for the annual registration.
Top

7. I changed my address through registration. Does this automatically update the Department of Revenue Services for purposes of my attorney occupational tax invoice? 
No. After you change your contact information with the Statewide Grievance Committee, you should immediately write to the Department of Revenue Services and inform DRS of your changes. The Judicial Branch’s registration database does not automatically update DRS. Information about the occupational tax.
Top

8. What happens if I do not register? 
Attorneys who do not register are not considered in good standing as that term is defined by Section 2-65 of the Connecticut Practice Book. An attorney who has not registered is not eligible to receive a certificate of good standing. Attorneys who fail to register will receive electronic and mailed notice to their registered office address and e-mail address of their noncompliance. Failure to complete the annual registration by the end of the calendar year will result in an administrative suspension of the license until registration has been completed and proof of compliance with the minimum continuing legal education requirement has been produced to the Bar Counsel’s office for review. Although the administrative suspension is not considered discipline, it will remain part of the attorney’s licensing history

More information on administrative suspensions pursuant to Practice Book §2-27B is available here
Top

9. How much does registration cost? 
There is no cost to register. Be advised, however, that attorneys, authorized house counsel and pro hac vice attorneys may owe other fees and taxes during the year, including the attorney occupational tax and the Client Security Fund fee. The Attorney Occupational Tax is paid between late December and mid January and is administered by the Department of Revenue Services. The Client Security Fund fee is collected between mid-May and mid-June. The Office of the Client Security Fund has more information.
Top

10. I'm working or living in a foreign country, including U.S. territories. How come I cannot access E-Services to register online? 
Attorneys in foreign countries, including U.S. territories, are not allowed access to E-Services for security reasons. These attorneys register by paper form.
Top

11. Where do I pay the Attorney Occupational Tax?
The occupational tax is collected by the Executive Branch of government through its Department of Revenue Services. Neither the Judicial Branch nor the Statewide Grievance Committee has any role in the collection of the tax. If you have questions or concerns about the attorney occupational tax, you should contact the Occupational Tax Department of the Department of Revenue Services at 860-297-5962 or e-mail: ct.efile@ct.gov. More information about the attorney occupational tax.
Top

12. If I am retired from the practice of law, do I have to register?
Yes. Attorneys can elect retirement status pursuant to Section 2-55 of the Connecticut Practice Book. Retirement does not constitute removal from the bar or the roll of attorneys. Retirement is not permanent and can be revoked at any time. Section 2-27 of the Connecticut Practice Book does not exempt retired attorneys from the registration requirement. There are no fees involved with the registration process, the only requirement is that you register annually, and notify the Statewide Grievance Committee of any changes pertinent to registration.
Top

13. What happens if I do not register an office address?
Lawyers who engage in the practice of law in Connecticut (defined by Practice Book Section 2-44A) are required by Section 2-27(d) to register “with the Statewide Grievance Committee, on a form devised by the committee, the address of the lawyer's office or offices maintained for the practice of law . . . .” The failure to register an office address constitutes misconduct. See Practice Book Section 2-27(f).
Apart from the misconduct issue, a lawyer’s failure to register an office address may have a more serious practical effect. Although the Judicial Branch does not affirmatively provide lawyer home addresses to the public, if there is no office address registered, then the Judicial Branch will interact with the lawyer using the lawyer’s home address registered to the lawyer’s juris number, which may have inadvertent but negative effects. For example, if a lawyer is grieved, the grievance and other materials from the complaint record will be mailed to the lawyer’s home address. Grievance complainants, who are not considered the public for purposes of a grievance complaint, may see the lawyer’s home address. If the grievance complaint results in a finding of probable cause, then the entire grievance record will be public, and any person will be able to access the grievance records, even those with the lawyer’s home address. As another example, if the lawyer appears in a matter with his or her personal juris number, then the lawyer’s home address will appear on the Judicial Branch case lookup website, which is public.
Lawyers are urged to take a broad reading of the requirement to register an office address with the Statewide Grievance Committee. The Statewide Grievance Committee has determined that it is acceptable for an attorney to register a post office box as an office address to mitigate against the disclosure of home addresses.
Top