PART III — ATTORNEYS, PARTIES, AND REPRESENTATION
Rule 20. Appearance, substitution, withdrawal, and contact information
Notice of appearance
An attorney must file a Notice of Appearance before filing in a representative capacity. The ECMS appearance route is the sole ordinary exception to the rule that only an existing participant may file in a case. The notice must state:
the party represented;
the attorney’s State Bar identifier and good-standing certification;
the attorney’s Roblox user identifier and current username;
whether the attorney is lead electronic counsel or additional counsel; and
a Court-approved service contact.
Substitution
Substitution requires a new Notice of Appearance and either:
the written consent of the party and outgoing lead counsel;
a stipulation signed by affected counsel and the party; or
a Court order.
The new lead counsel must identify the outgoing counsel and certify receipt of the case file.
Withdrawal
Counsel may withdraw only with the client’s written consent or leave of Court. A motion to withdraw must state, without disclosing privileged information:
the reason in general terms;
the client’s position;
all imminent deadlines and hearings;
whether substitute counsel has appeared; and
the client’s nonprivileged service method if withdrawal is granted.
Withdrawal does not extend a deadline unless ordered.
Portal limitation after withdrawal
The current ECMS may not immediately remove a former attorney’s access. A docketed substitution or withdrawal order controls legal status despite any lagging portal field. Former counsel must stop using case access except to transfer the file or comply with law, and must preserve confidentiality. The Clerk must place an access warning on the docket and use any available administrative control.
Contact and identity updates
A party and counsel must notify the Clerk and all other parties within twenty-four hours after learning of a change to:
Roblox username or account control;
Discord identifier used for Court communication;
State Bar status;
government office or entity authority;
lead-counsel designation; or
ability to access the ECMS.
Failure to update contact information does not invalidate service properly made to the last designated account unless the Court orders relief for good cause.