No attorney shall appear in that capacity before a superior court until the attorney has entered an appearance by filing a signed entry of appearance form or by filing a signed pleading in a pending action. An entry of appearance and all pleadings shall state:
Rule 4.2.Entry of Appearance and Pleadings
Rule 4. ATTORNEYS APPEARANCE, WITHDRAWAL AND DUTIES · Last amended 2011 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceRule 4.2 requires an attorney to file a signed entry of appearance or pleading listing the case style and number, the client represented, and the attorney’s bar number and contact details before appearing in a Georgia superior court case, generally within forty-eight hours of being retained.
Full Text of Rule 4.2
(1) the style and number of the case;
(2) the identity of the party for whom the appearance is made; and
(3) the name, assigned state bar number, current office address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the attorney (the attorney’s e-mail address shall be the e-mail address registered with the State Bar of Georgia).
The filing of any pleading shall contain the information required by this paragraph and shall constitute an appearance by the person(s) signing such pleading, unless otherwise specified by the court. The filing of a signed entry of appearance alone shall not be a substitute for the filing of an answer or any other required pleading. The filing of an indictment or accusation shall constitute an entry of appearance by the district attorney.
Any attorney who has been admitted to practice in this state but who fails to maintain active membership in good standing in the State Bar of Georgia and who makes or files any appearance or pleading in a superior court of this state while not in good standing shall be subject to the contempt powers of the court.
Within forty-eight hours after being retained, an attorney shall mail to the court and opposing counsel or file with the court the entry of his appearance in the pending matter. Failure to timely file shall not prohibit the appearance and representation by said counsel.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 4.2 sets the price of admission for appearing in a Georgia superior court case: a signed entry of appearance, or a signed pleading, on file. Either one must carry the case style and number, name the client being represented, and give the attorney’s bar number along with an office address, phone, fax, and the email address registered with the State Bar of Georgia. Filing a pleading that carries this information counts as an appearance on its own — a lawyer doesn’t need a separate form if the first document filed is a signed pleading with the required details.
The rule also draws a line that trips up new practitioners: filing the entry of appearance form does not stand in for filing an answer or any other pleading the case requires. It only announces who is representing whom; it doesn’t satisfy separate deadlines. A district attorney gets a shortcut of sorts — filing an indictment or accusation itself works as an entry of appearance, with no separate form needed.
Timing matters too. An attorney has forty-eight hours after being retained to mail the court and opposing counsel, or file with the court, notice of the new representation. Missing that window doesn’t disqualify the lawyer from appearing — the rule says a late filing does not prohibit the appearance and representation — but the forty-eight-hour clock still sets the expectation. And a lawyer who files or appears while not in good standing with the State Bar risks the court’s contempt power, a reminder that this rule also polices who may lawfully stand up in a superior courtroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information must an entry of appearance or pleading include?
The case style and number, the identity of the party represented, and the attorney’s name, State Bar number, office address, phone number, fax number, and the email address registered with the State Bar of Georgia.
Does filing an entry of appearance take the place of filing an answer?
No. The rule specifically states that filing a signed entry of appearance alone is not a substitute for filing an answer or any other required pleading.
How soon after being retained must an attorney file notice of the representation?
Within forty-eight hours, either by mailing notice to the court and opposing counsel or by filing it with the court.
What happens if an attorney misses the forty-eight-hour deadline?
Nothing forecloses the representation — the rule says a failure to timely file does not prohibit the attorney’s appearance and continued representation of the client.
Can an attorney who has lost good standing with the State Bar still file pleadings in superior court?
They can attempt to, but doing so exposes them to the court’s contempt powers, since the rule subjects an attorney not in good standing who files an appearance or pleading to contempt.
Amendment History
Amended effective March 9, 1989; May 26, 1994; May 5, 2011.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Uniform Superior Court Rules, published by the
Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
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