Rule 33.Limited Scope Representation
Rules for District Courts of Oklahoma · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified September 24, 2026
Full Text of Rule 33
Amendment History
Adopted by order of the Supreme Court, 2017 OK 53, effective June 19, 2017.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 33 makes limited scope representation workable in Oklahoma's district courts. A lawyer providing limited scope representation under Rule 1.2(c) of the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct may draft pleadings or other documents for a self-represented litigant to file with or present to a district court, without the lawyer entering an appearance in the matter. The drafting does not pull the lawyer into the case as counsel of record.
What the rule requires in exchange is disclosure, not anonymity. The lawyer must disclose the assistance by indicating their name, address, bar number, telephone number, and other contact information on the pleading or document, together with the phrase “No appearance is entered as counsel of record.” A signature is optional; the identifying information and the phrase are not.
The practical effect is that a litigant can buy help with a single document — a petition, an answer, a motion — without retaining a lawyer for the whole case, and the court and the other side can see who prepared it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Oklahoma lawyer write my court documents without representing me in the whole case?
Yes. Rule 33 permits a lawyer providing limited scope representation under Rule 1.2(c) of the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct to draft pleadings or other documents for a pro se litigant without entering an appearance in the matter.
Does the lawyer have to be identified on the document?
Yes. The lawyer must disclose the assistance by indicating their name, address, bar number, telephone number, and other contact information on the pleading or document.
What wording has to appear on the document?
The phrase “No appearance is entered as counsel of record.” The rule makes the lawyer's signature optional but not that disclosure.
Does drafting the document make the lawyer my attorney of record?
No. The rule allows the drafting without the lawyer entering an appearance, which is why the disclosure carries the phrase stating that no appearance is entered as counsel of record.