Office of Bar Counsel, 1219 WYBJ, Vol. 42 No. 7. 12

• Author: Mark W. Gifford, Wyoming State Bar Office of Bar Counsel Cheyenne, Wyoming
• Position: Vol. 42 7 Pg. 12

Office of Bar Counsel

Vol. 42 No. 7 Pg. 12

Wyoming Bar Journal

December, 2019

Wyoming’s New Pro Hac Vice Rule: Heightened Duties for Local Counsel

Mark W. Gifford, Wyoming State Bar Office of Bar Counsel Cheyenne, Wyoming

Wyoming’s rule governing pro hac vice admission—found in a set of rules with the clumsy title “Rules Governing the Wyoming State Bar and the Authorized Practice of Law”—has undergone a significant face lift. The most significant aspect of the new Rule 8, which went into effect on December 1, is that it charges local counsel with responsibility for violations by pro hac vice counsel:

Local counsel shall be deemed to have ratified all conduct of pro hac vice counsel and shall be responsible for pro hac vice counsel ’s violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct. See Rule 5.1, W.R.Prof. Cond.

The mechanics of obtaining pro hac vice admission remain essentially unchanged. Before filing a motion to admit an out-of-state lawyer as counsel pro hac vice in a particular matter, pro hac vice...