Supreme Judicial Court Rules  Section 4.1: Notice of appearance (Effective August 1, 2026)

Except as provided in subsection (b), a student practitioner appearing for a client shall file a written notice of appearance at the first appearance in each case. The notice shall include:

• (i) the student practitioner's name and signature;
• (ii) the supervising attorney's name and board of bar overseers number;
• (iii) the expected end date, if known, of the student's enrollment in the clinical program or association with the Commonwealth entity, or organization or law firm, as disclosed in Section 3.1(c) or the date applicable in Section 3.4;
• (iv) a signed statement by the student practitioner and the supervising attorney confirming the student practitioner's current certification under this rule and eligibility to appear before the court as set forth in the following subsections of Section 4 of this rule; and
• (v) if applicable, a representation that the student practitioner has documented the client's acknowledgment of student representation as required by Section 5.2(b).

For each subsequent appearance the student practitioner shall state on the record the student practitioner's name and certification status under this rule, and the supervising attorney's name.

A student practitioner representing the Commonwealth, or any subdivision, municipality, or agency that is exempt from filing a notice of appearance in a pending case or matter, is not required to file a written notice of appearance as required by Section 4.1(a). However, for each appearance, the student practitioner must state on the record the student practitioner's name and certification status under this rule, and the supervising attorney's name.