A Massachusetts attorney change of address is the update you submit to the Board of Bar Overseers (BBO) so the court, the public, and your clients can reach you at your correct office, email, and mailing location. Every active, inactive, and retired Massachusetts attorney must keep this information current, because the BBO uses your registered office address for all official correspondence, including disciplinary notices you cannot afford to miss.
The change is no longer a paper form for most lawyers. Since September 1, 2016, the BBO has required all attorneys to manage their registration—including address changes—through the secure online system at massbbo.org, as confirmed by the Boston Bar Association. Under SJC Rule 4:02, you must report any change within fourteen days. With roughly 75,000 attorneys registered in Massachusetts, even a small lapse in updating an address can mean a missed bar bill, a missed complaint, or an administrative suspension.
Here is what you will learn in this guide:
- 📍 How to update your office, residential, and email address step by step in the online BBO system.
- ⏱️ The exact 14-day deadline and what happens if you miss it.
- 🧾 Which separate filings the courts, the Appeals Court, and the federal bar still require.
- ✅ Three full walkthroughs for a solo move, a firm change, and a residential move.
- ⚠️ The field-level mistakes that trigger holds, public exposure, or missed notices.
What a Massachusetts Attorney Change of Address Is and Who Must File It
A Massachusetts attorney change of address is a formal update to your registration record held by the Board of Bar Overseers, the agency the Supreme Judicial Court created in 1974 to regulate the legal profession in the Commonwealth. It tells the BBO where to send your annual registration statement, your bar dues invoice, and—most important—any notice of a complaint or disciplinary matter. The address you register is not a private convenience; it is the legal point of contact the Board uses for official service.
Every attorney admitted to practice in Massachusetts must keep this record current, no matter their status. That includes active attorneys who practice, inactive attorneys who have paused practice, and retired attorneys. Even judges and government lawyers carry registration records that must reflect a correct location. The duty does not pause when you stop practicing, because the Board still needs a way to reach you.
The rule that drives this is SJC Rule 4:02. It requires that attorneys submit a business email address on the annual registration form and update all registered addresses, including email, within fourteen days of any change. The agency that receives the update is the BBO. The deadline is 14 days. The penalty for ignoring it can include missed official mail and administrative consequences, which the following sections explain in detail.
One point trips up many lawyers: if you are an active attorney with no office, the Board treats your residential address as your business address, and that business address is public. So the choice of what to register is not just clerical. It shapes what the world can see about where you live and work, which is why each field below matters.
Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need
Gather everything before you log in. The online session can time out, and a half-finished update is the same as no update in the eyes of the 14-day clock. Having each item ready also helps you avoid typos that create public errors or processing holds.
- Your BBO registration number. Without it you cannot locate your record, and entering the wrong one risks editing nothing or the wrong profile.
- Your massbbo.org login credentials. If you forgot them, reset early, because lockouts eat into your 14-day window.
- Your current primary email on file. The system ties your login to this address, and a stale one can block access entirely.
- Your new street office address. The Board requires at least one registered street address for service of process, so a P.O. Box alone will not satisfy this.
- Your new residential address. Active attorneys without an office have this published, so confirm spelling and ZIP before you save.
- Your new business phone and fax. Clients and courts pull these from your public record, and a wrong digit sends calls to a stranger.
- Your new business email address. Rule 4:02 makes this mandatory, and a typo here means you never receive electronic notices.
- The effective date of your move. Knowing it tells you when the 14-day clock started so you do not file late.
- A list of other places that hold your address. Courts, the Appeals Court e-notice list, and federal courts each need a separate update, covered later.
- Payment readiness, if reactivating. Changing from inactive to active status triggers a fee, so have a card ready if your move coincides with a status change.
If any item is missing, stop and find it first. A missing BBO number stalls the whole process. A missing street address forces you to use a P.O. Box that the Board will reject as your only address. A missing effective date leaves you guessing about your deadline, which is how a 14-day duty quietly becomes a late filing.
Where to Get the Form and How to Access It
There is no downloadable paper “change of address form” for active Massachusetts attorneys anymore. The update lives inside the secure online registration system. Go to massbbo.org and click Login. The system replaced the old fax-and-paper method, and online filing has been mandatory since September 1, 2016.
Once you log in, click your name in the upper right corner of the homepage and choose My Profile. This is the screen that holds your address, phone, fax, and email fields. The official Board policy notice lays out this exact path, so if a screen looks different, you are likely in the wrong area.
A few related paper forms still exist, but they serve narrow purposes and do not replace the BBO update. The Trial Court’s Request to Amend Attorney Information only makes a temporary fix inside court case systems like MassCourts, and it is overwritten the next time the BBO sends an electronic update. Newly admitted lawyers with pending matters change contact details through the Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County. Name changes also go to that Clerk, not through the profile screen.
If your primary email itself has changed and you can no longer log in, you cannot fix it yourself. The system instructs you to email RegistrationDept@massbbo.org for help, because the primary email is locked to your account identity.
Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out the Massachusetts Attorney Change of Address Line by Line
This section walks through each field on the My Profile screen in the order you meet it. Click the Edit button first to make the fields editable, then click Save at the end. The Board’s notice confirms this Edit-then-Save sequence, and skipping Save means nothing changes.
Login and BBO Registration Number
This is the gate to your record. The system asks for your credentials and ties them to your unique BBO number, which identifies you among tens of thousands of attorneys. You enter your username and password on the Login screen at massbbo.org, then the system loads your own profile automatically.
For example, attorney Maria Lopez logs in with the email and password she set during annual registration, and her profile opens to her BBO number 654321. If you registered after September 1, 2016, you have always used this system, so the credentials are the ones from your last renewal.
A common edge case: you changed firms last year and used a firm email to register. If that email is dead, you are locked out and must email RegistrationDept@massbbo.org rather than guess at passwords. The frequent mistake here is creating a second account, which splits your record and confuses the Board’s correspondence. A misconception worth correcting is that your BBO number changes when you move firms; it never does, because it is assigned to you for life.
Office (Business) Address
This field asks where the Board should send official mail and what the public sees as your business location. You type the full street address of your office, including suite or floor, in the office address fields after clicking Edit. Use a real street address, not just a box, because the Board requires one street address on file for service.
For example, Maria Lopez enters 100 Summer Street, Suite 2100, Boston, MA 02110 as her new office address after leaving her old firm downtown. Format it cleanly, with the suite on its own line where the form allows, so mail carriers and clients read it correctly.
The key edge case is having no office at all. If you are active with no business address, the Board uses your residential address as your business address, and that becomes public. The common mistake is leaving this blank, which forces your home onto the public website. The misconception is that the office address is private; it is the single most public field on your record, so treat it that way.
Residential Address
This field asks where you live, and it serves as a backup contact and the service address for attorneys without an office. You enter your home street address in the residential fields after clicking Edit. The Board needs accurate location data even if you never practice from home.
For example, attorney David Chen, who works fully remote with no separate office, enters 42 Maple Avenue, Newton, MA 02458 here, knowing it will publish as his business address. Double-check the ZIP, since a wrong ZIP can route official mail to the wrong post office and delay a disciplinary notice.
The edge case is privacy. The Board will accept a P.O. Box for either your office or residential address, but not both, and one of the two must remain a street address for service. The common mistake is using a P.O. Box for both, which the Board rejects and which leaves you out of compliance. The misconception is that your home address is hidden for active lawyers; if you have no office, it is displayed in full, so a P.O. Box for the office field is the lawful way to shield your home.
Confidentiality / P.O. Box Election
This field-level choice asks how you want to protect one address from public view. You decide which of your two addresses uses a P.O. Box, keeping the other as a street address for service. You make this election by entering a P.O. Box in one field and a street address in the other.
For example, David Chen lists a P.O. Box in Newton as his public office address and keeps his actual home street address as his confidential residential address on file for service. This keeps clients and the public off his doorstep while still satisfying the service rule.
The edge case is inactive or retired status. If you registered as inactive or retired, only the city, state, and ZIP of your address appear on the Board’s website, so the exposure is already reduced. The common mistake is assuming you can hide everything; the Board always needs one street address and will not let both fields be boxes. The misconception is that confidentiality is automatic; it is not, and you must actively choose the P.O. Box placement.
Business Phone and Fax
These fields ask for the voice and fax numbers where clients, courts, and the Board can reach your practice. You type the ten-digit numbers with area code in the phone and fax fields. Accuracy matters because these print on your public profile and on court contact lists.
For example, Maria Lopez enters (617) 555-0184 as her new business phone and removes the old firm’s fax number, leaving the fax field blank since her new office uses e-filing only. If you no longer keep a fax line, clearing the old number prevents documents from vanishing into a dead machine.
The edge case is a shared firm line versus a direct line. Pick the number that actually reaches you, not a general reception line that may not route messages. The common mistake is leaving an old firm’s number in place after you leave, which sends your calls to former colleagues. The misconception is that the phone field is optional cosmetic data; courts and clients rely on it, so a wrong number is a real-world barrier to representation.
Business Email Address
This field asks for the email where the Board and courts send electronic notices, and Rule 4:02 makes it mandatory. You type your current business email exactly, with no typos, in the email field. The Supreme Judicial Court amended Rule 4:02 effective July 1, 2014, to require this business email on the annual registration form.
For example, Maria Lopez enters maria.lopez@lopezlaw.com, her new firm domain, replacing the address tied to the firm she just left. One wrong character means notices bounce, and you may never learn a deadline passed.
The crucial edge case involves the primary email tied to your login, which is different from the business email field. If your primary email changed and you cannot log in, you must email RegistrationDept@massbbo.org, because you cannot self-edit the primary login email. The common mistake is updating the business email but leaving a dead primary email, which silently blocks future logins. The misconception is that one email field covers everything; the login email and the public business email are separate, and both must be live.
Edit, Review, and Save
This final step asks you to commit your changes. After clicking Edit and entering every change, you click Save to lock it in. The Board’s notice is explicit that you must click Save after updating, or the system keeps your old data.
For example, David Chen reviews each line—office P.O. Box, residential street address, phone, and email—then clicks Save and waits for the confirmation that the profile updated. Take a screenshot of the saved screen as proof of the date you filed, since the 14-day clock cares about timing.
The edge case is a deeper change. If you need to update information that affects your registration beyond contact details, click Go To Registration to open the full online registration form. The common mistake is editing the fields but closing the browser before clicking Save, which discards everything. The misconception is that the system auto-saves; it does not, so the Save click is the moment your change legally exists.
Separate Court and Federal Updates
This is not a single field but a critical follow-on step many lawyers skip. The BBO update does not automatically fix every system that holds your address. You handle these as separate filings after you finish the BBO change.
For example, Maria Lopez, who litigates in the U.S. District Court, links her PACER account and submits an address update through PACER so her federal filings carry the right address. She also checks whether the Massachusetts Appeals Court e-notice list needs a fresh email through its Change of E-Mail Address form.
The edge case is active litigation in a District Court division. The Trial Court amend-information form only patches the case system for a short time before the BBO’s electronic feed overwrites it. The common mistake is assuming the BBO update flows everywhere automatically; it does not reach PACER or the Appeals Court e-notice list. The misconception is that one update covers all courts; each forum keeps its own record and needs its own change.
Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios
Below are three of the most common situations attorneys face, each followed from login to save. The named entries show exactly what goes in each part of the profile.
Scenario 1: Maria Lopez, solo attorney moving offices. Maria left a downtown firm to open her own practice and must move her public business address and email within 14 days.
| Form Section | What Maria Enters |
|---|---|
| Login / BBO Number | Logs in at massbbo.org; profile opens to BBO No. 654321 |
| Action | Clicks her name, selects My Profile, clicks Edit |
| Office Address | 100 Summer Street, Suite 2100, Boston, MA 02110 |
| Residential Address | Leaves home address unchanged |
| P.O. Box Election | Keeps office as street address; no box needed |
| Business Phone | (617) 555-0184 |
| Business Fax | Clears old firm fax; leaves blank |
| Business Email | maria.lopez@lopezlaw.com |
| Save | Clicks Save; screenshots the confirmation |
| Federal Update | Submits PACER address change for U.S. District Court |
Scenario 2: David Chen, remote attorney with no office. David works fully remote and wants to keep his home address off the public website while staying compliant.
| Form Section | What David Enters |
|---|---|
| Login / BBO Number | Logs in; profile opens to BBO No. 778899 |
| Action | Clicks My Profile, then Edit |
| Office Address | P.O. Box 1185, Newton, MA 02458 (public) |
| Residential Address | 42 Maple Avenue, Newton, MA 02458 (street, for service) |
| P.O. Box Election | Box for office; street for residence |
| Business Phone | (617) 555-0237 |
| Business Email | david@chenlegal.com |
| Primary Email Issue | Emails RegistrationDept@massbbo.org to fix dead login email |
| Save | Clicks Save after confirming both addresses |
| Appeals Court | Files Appeals Court Change of E-Mail Address form |
Scenario 3: Janet Park, attorney changing residence and status. Janet moved homes and is reactivating from inactive to active status at the same time.
| Form Section | What Janet Enters |
|---|---|
| Login / BBO Number | Logs in; profile opens to BBO No. 334455 |
| Action | Clicks My Profile, Edit, then Go To Registration |
| Office Address | 55 Court Street, Salem, MA 01970 |
| Residential Address | 7 Hawthorne Lane, Beverly, MA 01915 |
| Status Change | Switches inactive to active on registration form |
| Fee | Pays the active-status registration fee by card |
| Business Phone | (978) 555-0162 |
| Business Email | jpark@parklaw.com |
| Save | Saves profile and completes registration |
| Trial Court | Files temporary amend form for her pending cases |
How to File the Completed Change of Address
The primary channel is the online BBO system, and for active attorneys it is mandatory. Log in at massbbo.org, open My Profile, click Edit, make changes, and click Save. There is no fee for a plain address change, the update processes immediately, and your proof of filing is the on-screen confirmation, which you should screenshot or print.
For court case systems, the Trial Court accepts the amend-attorney-information form by fax to the AOTC Information Services Department at (617) 725-1404. This filing is free, processes within a day or two, and lasts only until the next BBO electronic feed overwrites it, so keep your faxed copy as proof. Use this only when you need an immediate fix in an active case.
For the federal bar, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts routes address changes through PACER. You first link your PACER and CM/ECF accounts, then submit a change at the PACER address update page, selecting Massachusetts so court staff can approve it. There is no fee for the address change itself, processing waits on staff approval, and your proof is the PACER confirmation email; questions go to the PACER Service Center at (800) 676-6856.
For the Massachusetts Appeals Court e-notice list, file the Change of E-Mail Address form so electronic notices keep reaching you. Newly admitted attorneys with pending petitions instead file an address change with the Clerk of the SJC for Suffolk County. Keep a dated copy of whichever document you send as your record.
What Happens After You File
Once you click Save in the BBO system, your record updates right away, and the public website reflects your new public fields shortly after. The Board then uses your new office address for all official correspondence, including your annual registration statement and any disciplinary notice. This is the moment the system starts mailing to the right place.
The BBO also sends electronic updates to court case systems on a periodic schedule. That feed is why temporary fixes in MassCourts get overwritten and why your BBO record is the single source of truth. Expect court systems to align with your BBO data within a couple of weeks of the feed running.
Federal and Appeals Court systems do not wait on the BBO feed, because they keep separate records. Your PACER update waits for District Court staff approval before it shows on the re-registration page, and your Appeals Court e-notice change takes effect once that court processes the form. Until each forum confirms, assume your old address is still active there.
If you changed status along with your address, watch for a fee confirmation. Moving from inactive to active triggers a registration fee, and your reactivation is not complete until that payment clears. Keep every confirmation email and screenshot in one folder so you can prove the date and content of each change.
Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out the Change of Address
- Missing the 14-day deadline. Late updates can mean missed official notices and an out-of-compliance record.
- Forgetting to click Save. The system keeps your old data, so the change never legally happens.
- Using a P.O. Box for both addresses. The Board rejects this because one street address is required for service.
- Leaving the office field blank while active. Your home address then publishes as your public business address.
- Entering a typo in the business email. Electronic notices bounce, and you may never learn a deadline passed.
- Ignoring the locked primary email. A dead login email blocks future access and cannot be self-edited.
- Assuming the BBO update reaches all courts. PACER and the Appeals Court keep separate records that need their own filings.
- Creating a second BBO account. This splits your record and confuses the Board’s correspondence.
- Relying on the Trial Court amend form alone. It is temporary and gets overwritten by the next BBO feed.
- Trying to change your name in My Profile. Name changes go to the SJC Clerk for Suffolk County, not the profile screen.
- Skipping the screenshot of your saved profile. You lose your proof of the filing date if a dispute arises.
- Forgetting a status-change fee. Reactivating to active status is incomplete until the fee clears.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
- Do update within 14 days, because Rule 4:02 sets that as your hard deadline.
- Do keep one street address on file, because the Board needs it for service of process.
- Do screenshot your saved confirmation, because it proves the date you filed.
- Do update PACER and the Appeals Court separately, because they do not pull from the BBO feed.
- Do verify your business email twice, because one typo silences your electronic notices.
- Do email RegistrationDept@massbbo.org if locked out, because the primary email cannot be self-edited.
Don’ts
- Don’t use a P.O. Box for both addresses, because the Board will not accept it.
- Don’t leave your old firm’s phone in place, because calls then route to former colleagues.
- Don’t close the browser before saving, because unsaved edits disappear.
- Don’t assume your home address stays private, because active lawyers without an office publish it.
- Don’t rely on the temporary court form alone, because the BBO feed overwrites it.
- Don’t change your name through My Profile, because that requires a separate SJC Clerk filing.
Pros and Cons of Filing on Your Own vs. With Help
Most attorneys handle this update themselves, since the online system is built for self-service. Still, complex moves involving status changes, confidentiality, or active litigation can justify a second set of eyes.
Pros of filing on your own
- It is free, because a plain address change carries no fee.
- It is immediate, because the online save updates your record at once.
- It is simple, because the My Profile screen guides each field.
- It keeps you in control, because you confirm each entry yourself.
- It builds familiarity, because you will repeat it at each annual registration.
Cons of filing on your own
- You can miss separate court filings, because the BBO update does not reach PACER or the Appeals Court.
- You can expose your home address, because the public-versus-private rules are easy to misread.
- You can lock yourself out, because a dead primary email stops access.
- You can overlook a status fee, because reactivation steps are not obvious.
- You can lose proof, because nothing forces you to save a confirmation.
BBO Online Update vs. Trial Court Amend Form
| Feature | BBO Online Update |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Permanent change to your official record |
| How to file | Online at massbbo.org, My Profile |
| Duration | Permanent until you change it again |
| Reaches courts | Yes, through the periodic BBO feed |
| Required by Rule 4:02 | Yes |
| Feature | Trial Court Amend Form |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Temporary fix in a court case system |
| How to file | Fax to AOTC at (617) 725-1404 |
| Duration | Overwritten by next BBO feed |
| Reaches courts | Only the specific case system |
| Required by Rule 4:02 | No |
FAQs
Do I have to update my address online instead of on paper?
Yes. Active Massachusetts attorneys must use the online system at massbbo.org. Mandatory online registration has applied since September 1, 2016, and there is no paper change-of-address form for the BBO.
Do I really have only 14 days to report a move?
Yes. SJC Rule 4:02 requires attorneys to update all registered addresses, including email, within fourteen days of any change. Missing it puts your record out of compliance.
Do I write my office address or home address in the public field?
Yes, the office address is the public field, but if you are active with no office, the Board publishes your residential address as your business address instead.
Do I have to keep a street address on file, or can I use a P.O. Box?
No, you cannot use only a P.O. Box. The Board requires one registered street address for service, though a box is allowed for either office or residence, not both.
Do I put my login email or my business email in the email box?
Yes, the business email goes in the profile email box. The primary login email is separate, and if it changed you must email RegistrationDept@massbbo.org to fix it.
Do I need to click Save for the change to take effect?
Yes. You must click Edit, make changes, then click Save. The system does not auto-save, so closing the browser first discards everything.
Do inactive and retired attorneys have to update their address too?
Yes. All registered attorneys must keep their address current, though for inactive or retired status only the city, state, and ZIP appear on the public website.
Do I change my BBO number when I switch firms?
No. Your BBO number is assigned for life and never changes when you move firms, change status, or update your address.
Do I update my name through the My Profile screen?
No. Name changes go to the Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County, not through the online profile address fields.
Do I have to separately update federal court records?
Yes. The U.S. District Court uses PACER, so you must link your account and submit an address update there; the BBO update does not flow to federal courts.
Do court case systems update automatically after I change the BBO record?
Yes, through a periodic BBO electronic feed, which is why temporary amend-form fixes in MassCourts get overwritten by the next update.
Do I pay a fee just to change my address?
No, a plain address change is free. A fee applies only if you also change status, such as moving from inactive to active.
Do I keep proof that I filed the change?
Yes. Screenshot or print the saved confirmation, because it documents the date you filed within the 14-day window.
Do I need to update the Appeals Court separately for email notices?
Yes. File the Appeals Court Change of E-Mail Address form so electronic notices keep reaching you, since that court keeps its own record.
Related reading
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