Especially in United States usage, an attorney of record is any lawyer recognized by a court as representing (and therefore responsible to) a party to legal proceedings before it.
The attorney of record is the attorney who formally appears before the court, whether in person or by means of signed documents, on behalf of a party.
[1] However, the status is also an enforcement mechanism for a jurisdiction's applicable standards of legal ethics and professional responsibility (for example, the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct).
[2] Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5(b) states that, if a party is represented by an attorney, service of legal action in most cases must be made on the attorney, unless the court orders service on the party.
[3] The case of Guam Economic Development Authority v. Ulloa confirmed that service on an attorney of record is an "adequate" means of serving notice on the attorney's client.