Law Office or Attorney Supervised Study

In conjunction with your legal education, Novus students use Attorney Supervised Study for Bar Admission which is available in several states.

Take a moment to review these videos of testimonials of people that used a law clerk for bar admission option.

Many people attend law school for the option to practice law, but did you know you can also complete your legal studies in a law office or judge's chamber for bar admission? The State Bar of California's Practical Training of Law Students (PTLS) program certifies law students to provide legal services under the supervision of an attorney. Students interested in the PTLS program should read the Rules Governing the Practical Training of Law Students program to ensure they meet the eligibility requirements to participate including all instructions for certification (below). For additional assistance, send an email to PTLS@calbar.ca.gov. An applicant intending to file a PTLS application must first be registered as a law student with the State Bar of California’s Office of Admissions.

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Special-Admissions/Practical-Training-of-law-Students

1. General. An applicant may qualify to take the New York State bar examination by submitting to the New York State Board of Law Examiners satisfactory proof that:
   

   (1) the applicant commenced the study of law after the applicant's 18th birthday;
   (2) the applicant successfully completed the prescribed requirements of the first year of full-time study in a first degree in law program at an approved law school as defined in section 520.3(b) of this Part, whether attending full-time or part-time, earning a minimum of 28 credit hours (the threshold period);
   (3) at the conclusion of the threshold period the applicant was in good standing, not on academic probation, and was eligible to continue in the law school's degree program;
   (4) the threshold period was completed within 36 months of the commencement of law school study; and
   (5) the applicant thereafter studied law in a law office or offices located within New York State, under the supervision of one or more attorneys admitted to practice law in New York State, for such a period of time as, together with the credit permitted pursuant to this section for attendance in an approved law school, shall aggregate four years.

2. Employment and instruction requirements. An applicant studying law in a law office or offices within New York State must be actually and continuously employed during the required period as a regular law clerk and student in a law office, under the direction and subject to the supervision of one or more attorneys admitted to practice law in New York State, and must be actually engaged in the practical work of such law office during normal business hours. In addition, the applicant must receive instruction from the supervising attorney or attorneys in those subjects that are customarily taught in approved law schools.

3. Credit for attendance in approved law school. Credit shall be allowed toward the required four years of combined law school and law office study in accordance with subdivision (a) as follows:
   (1) one full year (52 weeks) of credit shall be allowed for successfully completing the threshold period;
   (2) following the threshold period, two weeks of credit shall be allowed for every additional successfully completed credit hour at an approved law school, but only if at the conclusion of the semester in which the credits were earned the applicant was in good academic standing, was not on academic probation and was eligible to continue in the school’s degree program.

4. Vacations. Vacations taken by the applicant in excess of one month in any year of law office study shall be deducted from the period of law office study for which credit shall be given, but if the applicant does not take a vacation there will not be an adjustment in the period of study required by this section.

5. Certificate of commencement of law office study. It shall be the duty of the attorney or attorneys with whom a period of law office study is about to be commenced to obtain from, complete and file with, the Clerk of the Court of Appeals a certificate of commencement of clerkship, Appendix B-2, infra. At the time the certificate of commencement of clerkship is filed, the applicant shall provide the Court of Appeals with a copy of the determination of the State Board of Law Examiners of the credit to which the applicant is entitled under subdivision (c) of this section.

6. Credit for law study in law office. Credit shall be given only for study in a law office or offices engaged in after the successful completion of the threshold period of law school study and after the filing of the certificate required by subdivision (e) of this section.

7. Proof required. Compliance with the requirements of this section shall be proved to the satisfaction of the State Board of Law Examiners.

One way to satisfy the educational requirements for admission by examination and admission by transferred UBE score is by completing Vermont’s Law Office Study Program (“LOS Program”). The LOS Program requires you to work under the supervision of an experienced Vermont judge or attorney for four years and to follow a systematic course of study.

To be eligible for the LOS Program, you must have earned either (1) a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education whose accreditor has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education, or (2) an undergraduate degree in a foreign jurisdiction if you can establish that the degree is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from an institution of higher education whose accreditor has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

1. Applicants. Every applicant for enrollment in the law reader program shall:

1. Furnish satisfactory proof that the applicant is a person of honest demeanor and good moral character and possesses the requisite fitness to practice law;

2. Present satisfactory proof of having been granted a bachelor's degree, other than a Bachelor of Laws, by an accredited college or university offering such a degree on the basis of a four-year course of study;

3. Submit, on forms provided by the Board of Bar Examiners (i) an application for admission to the law reader program, (ii) the Supervising Attorney's statement required by section (b)(6) of this rule, (iii) if requested by the Board, the applicant's score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) achieved within one year of the application, and (iv) the prescribed application fee; and

4. Appear for an interview, provide any additional information, or proof, and cooperate in any investigation, as may be deemed relevant by the Board of Bar Examiners.

2. Supervising Attorneys. A lawyer may act as Supervising Attorney for only one law reader at a time…

3. Length of Study. A law reader, whose application for enrollment has been accepted by the Board of Bar Examiners, shall study for three (3) calendar years. Each calendar year shall consist of at least 40 weeks, with a minimum of 25 hours of study each week, at least eighteen (18) of which hours of study must be within the confines of the Supervising Attorney's office in Virginia, either (i) during regular office hours between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. weekdays, or (ii) at such other times outside of regular office hours when both the reader and the Supervising Attorney are physically present together in the office. The Supervising Attorney shall give personal supervision to the law reader for at least 3 hours each week. "Personal supervision" is defined as time actually spent one-on-one with the law reader for the exposition and discussion of the law, the recitation of cases, and the critical analysis of the law reader's written assignments.

The Admission to Practice Rule (APR) 6 Law Clerk Program is an alternative to law school, which could qualify you to take the Washington state bar examination pursuant to the requirements of APR 3 (b) Qualifications for Bar Examination. It is a four-year program designed to provide theoretical, scholastic, and clinical experience through a combination of work and study with an experienced lawyer or judge.

Qualifications

To qualify to apply for the program applicants must have good moral character, a bachelor's degree, and regular paid employment in Washington state with a lawyer or judge who has at least 10 years of active experience and will serve as the applicant's primary tutor. Applicants must find their own employment; neither the WSBA nor the Law Clerk Board can assist in finding an employer/tutor. Employment is a requirement to apply for the program and an important component of program participation. Applicants must hold qualifying employment with the tutor when applying. Employment offered contingent upon enrollment in the program is not acceptable.

https://www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/join-the-legal-profession-in-wa/law-clerk


Novus does not guarantee bar admission to any particular state. Applicants are recommended to review all requirements before registration into any law school program to ensure that the program will meet their professional and personal goals. Jurisdictions rules, regulations, and policies change, Novus advises consulting the jurisdictions bar admission agency directly for the most current information.