I had an out of state lawyer call me, concerned, a few weeks ago. He was defending a client in his home state in a case in which the plaintiff’s counsel had obtained commissions to take depositions in North Carolina. The depositions were scheduled to begin in just a few days, and he was concerned that he needed to admitted pro hac vice, in a hurry.

My reaction was that this was unnecessary. It was an out of state case. Rule 5.5(c)(2)(B) of North Carolina’s Revised Rules of Professional Practice says that it’s not the unauthorized practice of law to take a deposition in North Carolina if the "matter . . .  arises out of or is otherwise reasonably related to the lawyer’s representation of a client in a jurisdiction in which the lawyer is admitted to practice." Moreover, it was the other side that had gotten the necessary commission and subpoena to take the deposition. The lawyer who called just planned on attending and possibly asking some questions after the other lawyer finished with his questions.

But after I looked at the situation a little bit I wasn’t so sure. One of the North Carolina depositions was to be taken in Wake County, where there is a specific Local Rule on point. Wake County Local Rule 13.1 says that "out-of-state attorneys seeking to take depositions of Wake County residents to be used in actions pending in other jurisdictions must be admitted pro hac vice unless local counsel has been associated."

That’s pretty broad. It might even cover an out of state lawyer taking the deposition of someone who agreed to appear voluntarily, without a subpoena. And are you "seeking to take depositions" if you are not the lawyer who compels the appearance of the witness, but you simply show up and ask some questions? And what about "unless local counsel has been associated?" Does that mean that NC counsel has to take the deposition or at least attend it, or is it enough if NC counsel simply obtains the issuance of the commission?

Given all these questions, we went ahead and got the lawyer admitted out of an abundance of caution.

I did a quick spot check of Local Rules for similar provisions. The only other county I’m aware of with an applicable rule is Mecklenburg County. The local rule there, 18.2(f),says "[i]f the out-of-state attorney intends to make an appearance in North Carolina in connection with this matter (such as attending the deposition)," the lawyer must be admitted pro hac.

There are occasional quirky local requirements of a different nature regarding pro hac admissions, like including a statement in the motion confirming payment of the $225 admission fee, which Guilford County Local Rule 5.12 requires. (All of the local rules for North Carolina’s counties are available here, it’s worth checking the pertinent rules if you are seeking or considering a pro hac admission).

Don’t forget that when a lawyer is admitted pro hac here, the NC attorney responsible for the admission has to obtain a completed Pro Hac Vice Registration Statement, and file that with the state bar within thirty days of the admission. Failure to do so is grounds for administrative suspension of the NC attorney from the practice of law.  27 NCAC Subchapter H, Section .0101(b).

The North Carolina Bar has has an FAQ page on pro hac admissions which has a lot of useful information. The statute governing pro hac admissions is N.C. Gen. Stat. §84-4.1.