Legal Definitions - pro hac vice

The legal term pro hac vice (pronounced "pro hahk vee-chay") is Latin for "for this occasion" or "for this time only." In legal practice, it refers to a special, temporary permission granted by a court that allows an attorney to represent a client in a specific case in a state where the attorney is not generally licensed to practice law.

Typically, lawyers must be licensed in each state where they wish to practice. However, when a particular case requires the expertise of an attorney licensed in another state, or when a client wishes to retain their long-standing counsel for a matter outside their home state, the attorney can apply to the court for pro hac vice admission. If approved, this admission is limited strictly to that single case or legal proceeding and does not grant the attorney a general license to practice in that state.

Here are some examples of how pro hac vice might apply:

• Specialized Expertise: A small technology company in Arizona is involved in a highly complex patent infringement lawsuit. Their usual corporate attorney in Arizona recommends a renowned patent litigator from California who has a unique track record of success in similar, niche technology cases. The California attorney, not licensed in Arizona, would apply for pro hac vice admission to the Arizona court to represent the tech company specifically for this patent dispute.

  This illustrates pro hac vice because the California attorney is granted temporary, case-specific permission to practice law in Arizona, a state where they do not hold a general license, due to their specialized expertise.

• Client Preference and Continuity: A family-owned manufacturing business based in Illinois has relied on the same legal firm for all its corporate matters for over 40 years. When the business faces a significant contractual dispute in a federal court in Indiana, they want their trusted Illinois attorney to continue representing them. The Illinois attorney would petition the Indiana federal court for pro hac vice status to handle that particular lawsuit on behalf of the business.

  This example demonstrates pro hac vice as the Illinois attorney, despite not being licensed in Indiana, seeks and receives special permission to appear in an Indiana court for a single, specific legal matter, ensuring the client's preferred counsel can represent them.

• Multi-State Litigation: A national consumer advocacy organization, headquartered in New York, files a class-action lawsuit against a large corporation in a state court in Colorado. The organization's lead counsel, who is licensed in New York and has extensive experience with consumer protection litigation across the country, applies for pro hac vice admission in Colorado to personally argue the case and manage the litigation there.

  Here, the New York-licensed attorney is seeking temporary, case-specific permission to practice in Colorado, a state where they are not generally licensed, to leverage their specialized experience and maintain consistent legal strategy for the organization in this particular lawsuit.