The State Bar seeks public comment on proposed changes to the Rules of Procedure of the State Bar that will create a process to adjudicate allegations of misconduct made against Provisionally Licensed Lawyers in the State Bar Court.
Deadline: April 11, 2022
Comments should be submitted using the online Public Comment Form. The online form allows you to input your comments directly and can also be used to upload your comment letter and/or other attachments.
On November 17, 2020, the State Bar launched the Provisional Licensure Program, which provides the opportunity for 2020 law school graduates (and those who became eligible to sit for the bar exam in 2020) to temporarily engage in the practice of law through June 1, 2022, under the supervision of a licensed attorney or a judge pursuant to rule 9.49 of the California Rules of Court. Effective February 1, 2021, rule 9.49.1 of the California Rules of Court extended eligibility to the program to individuals who scored between 1390 and 1439 on any California bar exam administered between July 2015 and February 2020. Rule 9.49.1 also provides a pathway to permanent licensure following satisfactory completion of certain requirements provided in rule 9.49.1.
To participate in the Provisional Licensure Program, a Provisionally Licensed Lawyer must agree to be subject to the disciplinary authority of the Supreme Court of California and the State Bar and may be terminated from the program upon imposition of any sanction for misconduct by the State Bar of California, including an administrative or stayed suspension.
The proposed Rules of Procedure provide a process for the State Bar Court to adjudicate allegations of misconduct against Provisionally Licensed Lawyers. These proceedings will occur in the same manner as a discipline proceeding filed against a permanently licensed attorney with a few modifications, as summarized in the agenda materials and set forth in the proposed rules.
Not applicable.
Board of Trustees