A. ENTRY OF APPEARANCE. Every party to any civil proceeding in the district courts shall file an entry of appearance by counsel or personally as an unrepresented party when no other pleading or other paper in the case by that counsel or party has been filed, but no later than the first filing of any pleading or other paper in the case by that counsel or party. In the event a party changes, adds, or substitutes counsel, new counsel must immediately file an entry of appearance as set forth in this section. The entry of appearance shall include the name and signature of counsel or the unrepresented party, the name of the party represented by counsel, the mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, Oklahoma Bar Association number, and name of the law firm, if any. In the event that counsel or a party consents to receive service by electronic means in a particular case or civil proceeding pursuant to subsection B of Section 2005 of this title, counsel or a party may give notice of the required written consent within counsel's or the party's entry of appearance. Counsel or the party giving the required written consent shall provide the electronic means address or addresses to which service by electronic means will be accepted by the consenting counsel or party. Copies shall be served on all other parties of record. Filing an entry of appearance as required by this section does not waive any defenses enumerated in subsection B of Section 2012 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
§ 2005.2.Entry of Appearance - Out-Of-State Counsel - Withdrawal - Address of Record
Chapter 39: Oklahoma Pleading Code · Last amended November 1, 2007 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2005.2 requires every attorney or self-represented party to file an entry of appearance before or with their first filing, sets special requirements for out-of-state counsel, and governs how counsel may withdraw and how parties must keep their address of record current.
Full Text of § 2005.2
B. COUNSEL NOT LICENSED IN OKLAHOMA. All motions of counsel not licensed to practice in Oklahoma shall comply with the requirements of Section 5 of Article 2 of the Rules Creating and Controlling the Oklahoma Bar Association in Appendix 1 of Title 5 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The statement required by Section 5 of Article 2 of the Rules Creating and Controlling the Oklahoma Bar Association shall be in the form of an affidavit attached to the motion. The motion shall show that the requirements of Section 5 of Article 2 of the Rules Creating and Controlling the Oklahoma Bar Association are fulfilled. The required entry of appearance of the associate attorney shall be filed with the motion and affidavit.
C. WITHDRAWAL OF COUNSEL. A motion to withdraw may be filed at any time. All motions to withdraw shall be accompanied by a proposed order. No counsel may withdraw from a pending case without leave of the court. The counsel filing the motion shall serve a copy of the motion on the client and all attorneys of record. All motions to withdraw shall be signed by the party on whose behalf counsel has previously appeared or contain a certificate by counsel that:
1. The client has knowledge of counsel's intent to withdraw; or
2. Counsel has made a good faith effort to notify the client and the client cannot be located. In civil actions, the court may grant a motion to withdraw where there is no successor counsel only if the withdrawing attorney clearly states in the body of the motion the name and address of the party. The order allowing withdrawal shall notify the unrepresented party that an entry of appearance must be filed either by the party pro se or by substitute counsel within thirty (30) days from the date of the order permitting the withdrawal and that a failure of the party to prosecute or defend the case may result in dismissal of the case without prejudice or a default judgment against the party. If no entry of appearance is filed within thirty (30) days from the date of the order permitting withdrawal, then the unrepresented party, other than a corporation, is deemed to be representing himself or herself and acting pro se. In all cases, counsel seeking to withdraw shall advise the court if the case is currently set for motion docket, pretrial conference, or trial.
D. ADDRESS OF RECORD. The address of record for any attorney or party appearing in a case pending in any district court shall be the last address provided to the court. The attorney or unrepresented party must, in all cases pending before the court involving the attorney or party, file with the court and serve upon all counsel and unrepresented parties a notice of a change of address. Any attorney or unrepresented party has the duty of maintaining a current address with the court. Service of notice to the address of record of counsel or an unrepresented party shall be considered valid service for all purposes, including dismissal of cases for failure to appear.
E. NOTICE OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS. All attorneys and unrepresented parties shall give immediate notice to the court of a change of address by filing notice with the court clerk. If the attorney or unrepresented party has provided written consent to receive service by electronic means pursuant to subsection A of this section, or in another pleading, the attorney or party shall include a change of electronic mailing address as part of the notice required in this subsection. The notice of the change of address shall contain the same information required in the entry of appearance, shall be served on all parties, and a copy shall be provided to the assigned judge. If an attorney or an unrepresented party files an entry of appearance, the court will assume the correctness of the last address of record until a notice of change of address is received. Attorneys of record who change law firms shall notify the court clerk and the assigned judge of the status of representation of their clients, and shall immediately withdraw, when appropriate.
Amendment History
Added by Laws 2002, HB 1939, c. 468, §22, eff. 11/1/2002; Amended by Laws 2007, SB 634, c. 12, §8, eff. 11/1/2007.
Plain-English Summary
Before filing anything else in a case, an attorney or an unrepresented party must file an entry of appearance listing their name, the client represented, contact information, Oklahoma Bar number, and firm name, and new counsel must do the same immediately upon taking over a case. Attorneys not licensed in Oklahoma face an added step: their motions must comply with the Oklahoma Bar Association's rule on associating local counsel, documented by affidavit.
Withdrawing from a case requires leave of court and a proposed order; the motion must show the client knows counsel intends to withdraw, or that counsel made a good-faith effort to reach a client who can't be found, and if there's no successor counsel, the order must warn the now-unrepresented party that they have thirty days to appear pro se or hire new counsel or risk dismissal or a default judgment. Subsections D and E round out the bookkeeping: every attorney and self-represented party must keep a current address of record with the court, promptly notify the court and all parties of any change, and service at the last address on file counts as valid, including for purposes of dismissing a case when someone stops responding.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does a lawyer have to file an entry of appearance?
No later than the first pleading or paper the lawyer files in the case, and a party representing themselves must do the same, under subsection A.
What extra step does out-of-state counsel have to take?
Their motion must comply with the Oklahoma Bar Association's rule on associating local counsel, supported by an affidavit and accompanied by the associated attorney's own entry of appearance, per subsection B.
Can a lawyer just stop representing a client without telling the court?
No -- subsection C requires leave of court, a proposed order, service on the client, and either the client's signature or counsel's certification that the client knows of the withdrawal or that counsel made a good-faith effort to find them.
What happens if a client doesn't get new counsel after their lawyer withdraws?
The order permitting withdrawal must warn that a new entry of appearance is due within thirty days, and that failing to act can lead to dismissal of the case or a default judgment, under subsection C.
Whose job is it to keep the court updated on a change of address?
Every attorney and unrepresented party must file notice of any address change and serve it on all parties, under subsections D and E; until they do, service at the last address on file is valid.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: oklahoma entry of appearance rule12 O.S. § 2005.2attorney withdrawal oklahoma civil caseout of state counsel oklahoma pro hac vice