Oregon has become the first U.S. state to offer an alternative pathway for attorney licensing, allowing law school graduates to become licensed lawyers without the traditional bar exam or graduating from an in-state law school. The new pathway, called the Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination, requires graduates to complete 675 hours of legal work under the…
The Law Society of Scotland continues work on regulatory regime for Licensed Legal Service Providers
The Law Society of Scotland has provided an update on the status of licensed legal services providers. Traditionally legal practices can only be owned by lawyers holding a practice certificate, these new Legal Service Providers can be owned by non-lawyers, though they still need to be majority (51%) owned by solicitors or members of specified…
Judges and the Deregulation of the Lawyer’s Monopoly
In a revolutionary moment for the legal profession, the deregulation of legal services is taking hold in many parts of the country. Utah and Arizona, for instance, are experimenting with new regulations that permit nonlawyer advocates to play an active role in assisting people who may not otherwise have access to legal services. In addition,…
New accreditation launched in Scotland for paralegals working in immigration law
The Law Society of Scotland has launched a new accreditation for paralegals working in immigration law. The new accreditation is in response to the expanding need in immigration law and recognises the increasing speciality of the area of law. The accreditation is voluntary and the process involves demonstrating the Law Society’s General Competencies and Standards…
Board of Trustees approve options for California Supreme Court to review to extend the Provisional Licensure Programme
With the successful Provisional Licensure program due to come to an end on 31st December 2022, The California State Bar of trustees has approved 3 options for extending the programme which are to be presented to the Supreme Court. The programme, a response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and directed by the Supreme Court, has seen…