FEDERAL DEFENDER OFFICE
Eastern District of Michigan

ADMISSION TO THE  CJA PANEL

Attorneys seeking admission to the CJA Panel Attorney Program for the Eastern District of Michigan must complete an application. Click here to download a CJA Panel Attorney Application. The completed application should be forwarded to:

Federal Defender Office
5th Floor
613 Abbott
Detroit, MI  48226
Attn: CJA Panel

Applications are generally screened around May of each year by the Panel Selection Committee, a panel of experienced federal court practitioners nominated by various bar associations in the Eastern District of Michigan. The Committee's recommendations for admission are forwarded to the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for final approval. Admission to the panel is contingent upon the number of vacancies.

Active Status on the Panel

To remain an active member on the CJA panel and continue to receive case assignments, each member is asked to accept a minimum of two CJA cases per year. Members who do not accept a minimum of two cases per year are placed on inactive status and removed from the roster of new case assignments. Members who are placed on inactive status must contact the Federal Defender Office to request reinstatement to active status.

All panel members serve at the pleasure of the U.S. District Court. A panel member whose license is revoked or suspended by the Attorney Discipline Board for more than 119 days shall be removed automatically from the CJA Panel. In the event of reinstatement to membership in good standing in the State Bar of Michigan, an attorney who desires to be reinstated to the CJA Panel shall proceed as on original application. Any member whose license is suspended for 119 days or less, or for any other reason is no longer a member in good standing of the State Bar of Michigan, shall be suspended automatically from active status. Upon reinstatement, a suspended attorney shall be returned to active status through the Panel Selection Committee. In both instances, the Panel Selection Committee makes a recommendation to the U.S. District Court for discussion and decision. 

In addition, the U.S. District Court may provisionally suspend an attorney from membership on the CJA Panel for reasons other than bar membership status, including, but not limited to, formal accusation of a crime, conviction of crime not resulting in action by the Attorney Discipline Board, indications of lack of professional competence or lack of adherence to ethical standards, and indications of mental or emotion instability affecting professional responsibilities.

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