Applications to California's Provisionally Licensed Lawyer Program Now Available

The California State Bar has launched the provisional license application for 2020 law school graduates. This allows graduates who have not passed the bar exam to practice law in California under the supervision of a licensed lawyer. Applicants must have an employment offer, conditional employment offer, volunteer opportunity, or conditional volunteer opportunity lined up. They must also pay a fee and meet other requirements for bar examinees, such as a complete moral character application. The program lasts until June 2022 and there are plans to implement an online directory to allow the public to search provisionally licensed lawyers. There is also discussion of possibly extending the program to applicants who scored 1390 or higher on past bar exams, as far back as July 2015. See The State Bar of California.