Practical Training of Law Students

The State Bar of California’s Practical Training of Law Students (PTLS) Program certifies law students to provide legal services permitted by rule 9.42(d) of the California Rules of Court under the supervision of an attorney. The program is also governed by Title 3, Division 1, Chapter 1 of the Rules of the State Bar.

Before applying

You must first register as a law student with the State Bar’s Office of Admissions. The registration application is available in the Applicant Portal or upon request from the Office of Admissions.

To be eligible for the PTLS Program, you must:

  • Be a law student currently enrolled in a J.D. program at an American Bar Association-accredited, California-accredited, or California-unaccredited (registered) law school;
  • Have successfully completed one full year of studies, a minimum of 270 hours; passed the First-Year Law Students’ Exam, if required; and enrolled in a second, third, or fourth year of law school in good academic standing or graduated from a law school; and
  • Have successfully completed or be currently enrolled in and attending courses in evidence and civil procedure.

You are ineligible for the program if:

  • You are licensed to practice law in any U.S. or foreign jurisdiction;
  • You did not take the first administration of the California Bar Exam for which you were eligible; or
  • You took and received results for your first eligible California Bar Exam.

Applying for the program

If it is your first time participating in the program, complete and submit the original PTLS Application in the Applicant Portal.

You will need to submit the following documents with the online application:

Please see the Schedule of Charges and Deadlines for the current application fee.

Additional forms

If you were previously certified through the PTLS Program and need to extend your certification period under your current supervising attorney(s), you must complete and submit a PTLS Extension–Date Only application in the Applicant Portal. You must submit a declaration form from each supervising attorney who will continue to supervise you through the extended period. There is no fee required for this application.

If you are adding or changing a supervising attorney, you must complete and submit a PTLS Extension–Supervising Attorney Change application in the Applicant Portal. You must submit a declaration form from each new supervising attorney and the required fee.

Application processing

All items must be submitted before an application will be considered complete.

Applications are typically processed within one month of the date the State Bar receives a complete and accurate application. If the application is not completed accurately, it will delay your certification to participate in the program. If you fail to complete the application, submit all required documentation, and pay the required fee within 60 days of submission of the application, your PTLS application will be deemed abandoned without a refund of any fees paid. You will then have to start a new application if you wish to participate in the program.

Once your PTLS application has been approved, the Office of Admissions will email you, your law school, and your supervising attorney(s) the Notice of Student Certification.

Questions?

For questions related to the PTLS Program, please contact the Office of Admissions at Admissions@calbar.ca.gov or at 800-843-9053.

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