Justices OK 'Limited Practice' by Pa. Law Grads Shut Out of July Bar Exam by COVID-19
The order came down the same day the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners announced the July bar exam was being moved to September.
April 29, 2020 at 04:06 PM
3 minute read
Photo: Fotolia
In light of the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners' decision to postpone the July bar exam until September, the state Supreme Court on Tuesday said law school graduates who had applied to sit for the exam may "temporarily engage in the limited practice of law," including advising clients under the watchful eye of a supervising attorney.
On April 28, the PBLE announced the bar exam was being moved to Sept. 9 and 10.
The justices issued an order the same day allowing graduates who were planning to take the July exam to practice in a limited capacity until either the September exam is administered (if they don't sit for it) or the results of the September exam are announced (if they do sit for it).
According to the order, eligibility to practice as a limited licensee requires having graduated from an American Bar Association-accredited law school with a juris doctor degree and having never failed the bar exam before.
Eligible limited licensees must also have already applied to sit for the July bar exam and must meet the character and fitness requirements of the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners.
The justices' order also said that limited licensees are required to be supervised by an actively practicing member of the Pennsylvania bar.
The supervising attorney, according to the order, cannot oversee more than two limited licensees and "shall assume personal professional responsibility for ensuring that the 2020 limited licensee's legal work is competent and compliant with the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct."
In addition to advising clients, according to the order, limited licensees "may prepare documents on behalf of a client, including documents that will be filed in a court, administrative tribunal or agency of the commonwealth," as long as they include the supervising attorney's signature.
The order also allows limited licensees to "appear for any activity subsumed within the practice of law," as long as their supervising attorney is also present.
In a statement released in conjunction with the Supreme Court's order and the announcement of the new bar exam dates, PBLE chair David Fine said, "The board believes this order represents an appropriate balance between the need to ensure that the public is represented competently, the particular need for additional lawyers to assist the public in matters related to or arising from the pandemic, and the need for graduating law students to start the careers for which they have worked and invested so much."
Read the full order:
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Philadelphia Bar Association Executive Director Announces Retirement
3 minute read
Phila. Jury Hits Sig Sauer With $11M Verdict Over Alleged Gun Defect
3 minute read
Phila. Attorney Hit With 5-Year Suspension for Mismanaging Firm and Mishandling Cases
4 minute read
Trending Stories
- 1Gibson Dunn Sued By Crypto Client After Lateral Hire Causes Conflict of Interest
- 2Trump's Solicitor General Expected to 'Flip' Prelogar's Positions at Supreme Court
- 3Pharmacy Lawyers See Promise in NY Regulator's Curbs on PBM Industry
- 4Outgoing USPTO Director Kathi Vidal: ‘We All Want the Country to Be in a Better Place’
- 5Supreme Court Will Review Constitutionality Of FCC's Universal Service Fund
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
