The upcoming fee registration change is the first one for Ohio attorneys in 16 years.

The upcoming fee registration change is the first one for Ohio attorneys in 16 years.

Beginning in July, the biennial registration fee for Ohio attorneys will be $400.

Fee changes will be phased in over two registration periods, beginning with the period that opens July 1. Fees for the two-year period covering 2023-2025 will be $400. For the two-year period covering 2025-2027, fees will be $450.

It has been 16 years since attorney registration fees were last updated in 2007. Cost-saving measures by the Supreme Court Office of Attorney Services extended a projected 10-year window for the additional years. Ohio currently ranks as one of the lowest attorney registration fees in the country. And Ohio attorneys pay every two years, compared with annually in some other states.

Fees fund attorney services including processing registrations and maintaining attorney records; investigating complaints of judicial or attorney misconduct and the unauthorized practice of law; reimbursing victims of attorney theft through the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection; and supporting the Commission on Continuing Legal Education.

There will also be adjusted rates for late registration and certificates of good standing. Attorneys that file late on or after Sep. 1 must pay an additional $100. The fee for standard good standing certificates will be $20 and disciplinary certificates of good standing will be $35 each. Attorneys will also have an option for an expedited certificate of good standing for $50. A request made by 2:00 p.m. will be fulfilled the same business day.

Starting July 1, the Ohio attorney registration process will all be completed online, including an electronic bar license which can be stored on an attorney’s phone for easy access, or printed out as needed.

The changes will be reflected in Rule VI for the Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar of Ohio.