Bill Text: VA SB1234 | 2021 | 1st Special Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Virginia State Bar examination; foreign applicants, evidence required.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-03-18 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0296) [SB1234 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2021-SB1234-Prefiled.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §54.1-3931 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§54.1-3931. Granting certificates without examination; law professors.
A. The Supreme Court shall have discretion to grant a
certificate without examination to any attorney who has been admitted to
practice law before the court of last resort of any state or territory of the
United States or the District of Columbia for at least five years. The
certificate shall entitle the holder, after paying his license tax, to practice
in the courts of this the Commonwealth.
B. The Supreme Court shall have discretion to grant a certificate without examination to any attorney who has (i) been admitted to practice law before the court of last resort of any state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia for at least two years; (ii) made at least six pro hac vice appearances in a court in the Commonwealth, whether state or federal; and (iii) obtained a juris doctor or LL.M. degree from an accredited law school in the United States that was approved by the American Bar Association at the time of the attorney's graduation. The certificate shall entitle the holder, after paying his license tax, to practice in the courts of the Commonwealth.
C. The
Supreme Court shall also have discretion to grant a certificate without
examination to any person connected with any foreign embassy or legation to
appear in the courts of this the Commonwealth in all
matters connected with his official duties, provided that the person has been
admitted to practice in the court of last resort of the jurisdiction of the
embassy or legation to which he is attached or he has received a degree from a
law school approved by the American Bar Association.
C. D. The Supreme Court shall have
the authority to promulgate rules and regulations allowing professors in law
schools located in the Commonwealth, which are accredited by the American Bar
Association, to become associate members of the Virginia State Bar. Nothing in
this subsection shall preclude the granting of a certificate without
examination to a professor who is otherwise eligible for such a certificate
under any other provision of this section.
D. E. The Supreme Court may
authorize the Board or any committee thereof to administer the provisions of
this section.
E. F. All other persons shall take
the examinations and comply with the applicable provisions of this chapter.