Bar Exams

New York Changes Its Pro Bono Bar Admission Requirement

By Marino Legal Academy  
on

The New York Court of Appeals has just changed its pro bono service requirement and will now permit remote supervision of this work. The pro bono rule was first introduced in 2012, and mandated that all prospective attorneys perform a minimum of 50 hours of law-related pro bono service prior to bar admission.

The pro bono work must be supervised by a law school faculty member; admitted attorney in good standing, or, in the case of a court clerkship, by a judge or attorney employed by the court.

Now, due to feedback from both law schools and bar associations, the Court of Appeals has amended the rule, eliminating the added requirement that the supervising attorney(s) be admitted in the same jurisdiction where the pro bono work is actually being performed.

One of the reasons cited for the change was that the emerging global practice of law now often involves teams of lawyers from all over the world using shared secured documents and video conferencing when working on projects. It is hoped that the new rule will allow for greater flexibility for law graduates to fulfill their requirements.

To read more about the change, go here

And if you are a newly admitted attorney, come join us to fulfill your mandatory CLE requirements at one of our upcoming Bridge the Gap Lectures!

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