Provisional Licensing Program Approved for 2020 Law School Graduates

On October 21, the Supreme Court of California adopted Rule 9.49, creating the Provisional License Program for 2020 law school graduates, in response to bar exam delays caused by COVID-19. The rule will take effect November 17, 2020 and continue until June 2022, unless extended by the court. The program is open to anyone who became eligible to sit for the California Bar Exam between December 2019 and December 2020. It also requires that an applicant have an offer of employment or to volunteer with a law firm, legal services organization, or legal department of a corporation or government organization prior to applying. Once the applicant is approved, they are licensed to practice any substantive area of law under a supervising lawyer. Failure to pass the exam before 2022 would not end provisional licensure. See California Courts Newsroom, State Bar of California.