Court Rules Providing Admissions for In-house Counsel
| AL | No response
To be updated |
Contact: Staff Attorney,
Gilbert Kendrick (334) 269-1515 |
www.alabar.org |
| AK | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Ethics Committee, Steven Van Goor
(907) 272-7469 |
www.alaskabar.org |
| AZ | Ariz. Sup. Ct. R. 31
All attorneys are required to take the bar exam. |
Contact: State Bar of Arizona, (602) 252-4804 | www.azbar.org |
| AR | No corporate admission rule.
An in-house attorney may council, but may not appear in court without a license. |
Contact: Professional Conduct Committee,
Jim Neal (501) 376-0313 |
www.arkbar.com |
| CA | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Senior Staff Attorney, State Bar of CA,
(415) 241-2100 |
www.calbar.org |
| CO | Rule pending early Feb. 1998
Supreme Court considering adopting laws to provide limited license to practice for short time in CO. |
Contact: Ethics Committee, CO Bar Association
(303) 893-3394 |
www.cobar.org |
| CT | CT Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 5.5 This rule discusses UPL. However, no formal rules or opinions have been issued in CT regarding in-house counsel and Bar Admission. | Contact: Committee on Professional Ethics,
Jen Colmer (860) 721-0025 |
www.ctbar.org |
| DE | No corporate admission rule.
No case law, statute, or rule for UPL. |
Contact: Ethics Committee, Mary Johnston
(302) 577-7042 |
www.ncsc.dni.us/court/Delaware/home.htm
OR www.state.de.us |
| DC | DC App.R. 49(c)(6) | Contact: District of Columbia Bar,
(202) 331-3883 |
www.dcbar.org |
| FL | Fla. Ct. R. ch. 17
Provides special registration allowing in-house counsel to relocate to Florida without taking bar examination. |
Contact: General Counsel, Florida Bar,
(904) 561-5600 |
No web site located. |
| GA | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Deputy General Counsel Georgia State Bar, Roman White,
(404) 527-8728 |
www.gabar.org |
| HI | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Disciplinary Board,
(808) 521-4591 |
www.hsba.org |
| ID | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Linda Pruet (Bar Commission Rules) or Annette Strouser (House Counsel) | www2.law.cornell.
edu/cgibin/foliocgi. cxe/rpc-idaho? OR www.idwr.state.id.us |
| IL | Ill. Rule of Professional Conduct Rule 5.5 (A) (B) | Contact: Illinois Supreme Court
John Cesari (312) 565-2600 |
www.illinoisbar.org |
| IN | Ind. Sup. Ct. R. 3 (admission & discipline ).
General rule states that one can appear in court with local counsel from the state of Indiana. |
Contact: Legal Ethics Committee Mary Godsey
(317) 232-2552 |
www.ai.org/isba |
| IA | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Iowa State Bar
(515) 243-3179 |
www.iowabar.org |
| KS | Kan. Sup. Ct. R. 706
Allows in-house counsel licensed for at least five years to obtain temporary license without examination. |
Contact: Kansas Bar Association, General Counsel, (913) 234-5696 | www.ksbar.org |
| KY | No response
To be updated |
Contact: Ethics Committee,
Bob Hobsen (502) 581-8000 |
www.kybar.org |
| LA | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Ethics Advisory Board, (504) 566-1600 | www.state.la.us |
| ME | No corporate admission rule.
General statement which prohibits corporate counsel from practicing in the state without a license. |
Contact: Assistant Gen. Counsel
Carlos Dias (207) 626-8846 |
www.mainebar.org |
| MD | Bus. Occ. & Prof. Code Ann. 10-206(d)
Admission without examination for in-house counsel must associate local counsel to appear in court. |
Contact: Committee on Ethics, (410) 685-7878 | www.msba.org |
| MA | No corporate admission rule
Case by case basis. Attorney must contact clerk to ask procedure, but most often pro hoc vice (Chapter 221 sec. 46A). |
Contact: Ethics Committee,
Bob Blume (617) 557-1165 |
www.massbar.org |
| MI | Mich. Bd. of L. Examiners R. 5
Allows admission without examination for certain in-house attorneys. |
Contact: State Bar of Michigan, (517) 372-9030 | www.michbar.org |
| MN | Minn. Ct. Admission to Bar. R. VI
Provides a one-year license for out-of-state corporate counsel. |
Contact: Consumer Protection Committee,
(612) 333-1183 |
www.mn.bar |
| MS | Case: Darby v. Mississippi 185 S. 2nd 864 (1966)
Miss. Code Ann. sect. 73-51-1; Miss. Code sect. 73-3-55; 97-23-43 |
Contact: Mississippi State Bar, (601) 948-4471 | www.msbar.org |
| MO | Mo. Sup. Ct. R. 8.105
Provides special license for in-house counsel relocating to MO. |
Contact: Chief Disciplinary Counsel
(314) 635-7400 |
www.mobar.org |
| MT | No corporate admission rule | Contact: State Bar of Montana,
(406) 442-7660 |
www.montanabar.org |
| NE | No corporate admission rule.
Revised rule of Supreme Court of Nebraska (1996) Governs admission of attorneys. |
Contact: Nebraska State Bar,
(402) 475-7091 |
www.nebar.com |
| NV | No corporate admission rule.
As long as the attorney is licensed, he/she can council. However, if the matter goes to court, the client must be represented by NV counsel. |
Contact: State Bar of Nevada, Michael Warhola
(800) 254-2797 |
www.state.nv.us |
| NH | No response
To be updated |
Contact: Ethics Committee, Joseph Kerrigan
(603) 883-5501 |
www.nh.com/legal/nhbar |
| NJ | N.J. Comm. on Unauthorized Practice of Law, Formal Op. 14 (1975).
In-house counsel working in NJ but not licensed in state not engaged in unauthorized practice of law. |
Contact: Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics,
(609) 292-0694 |
www.njsba.com |
| NM | Must be licensed member of the NM bar as of right now.
(case pending). |
Contact: State Bar of NM,
Lee Brownfield (505) 524-1788 Supreme Court, Santa Fe (505) 287-4860 |
www.state.nm.us |
| NY | No corporate admission rule.
Judiciary Law, Article 15, Sections 478, 484, 495 govern unauthorized practice of law. |
Contact: State Bar Association, Kent MiKnari
(518) 463-3200 Committee on Professional Ethics, Counsel, Kathleen Baker e-mail: [email protected] |
www.nysba.org
OR gopher://lbdc.senate.state.ny.us:70/11/.laws/ |
| NC | State v. Pledger, 127 S.E. 2d 337 (1962)
Corporation may prepare document without license. (No rule or decision directly on point but In-house not held UPL.) |
Contact: Ethics Committee,
(919) 828-4620 |
www.barlinc.org |
| ND | N.D. Sup. Ct. R.. 3, 11.1.
Limited admission of non-resident attorneys. Non-resident attorney may appear in court with an associate attorney licensed to practice law in N.D. |
Contact: Ethics Committee,
(701) 328-2221 |
www.court.state.nd.us/court/Rules/
Frameset.html |
| OH | Ohio Gov. Bar R. VI, § 4
Allows corporate status registration. |
Contact: Ohio State Bar Association,
(614) 487-2050 |
www.ohio.gov/ohio/index.htm |
| OK | Okla. Stat. Ann. app. Tit. V, 6
Special temporary permit as long as in-house counsel works full time for corporation. |
Contact: Legal Ethics Committee,
(405) 524-2365 |
www.onenet.net/oklegal |
| OR | No corporate admission rule.
OR position is that you must be licensed by OR to practice. |
Contact: Oregon State Bar,
Jeff Wyatt (503) 620-0222 ext. 365 |
www.state.or.us |
| PA | Pa. Comm. on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. InFormal Op. 86-63 (1986).
Non-resident attorney must retain local counsel to appear in court. No ethical prohibition from acting as general counsel. |
Contact: Committee on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility,
(717) 238-6715 |
www.pabar.org |
| RI | No corporate admission rule.
See R.I. Code Ann., 11-27-1. |
Contact: Ethics Advisory Panel, Elizabeth Dupree
(401) 222-3270 |
www.ribar.com |
| SC | S.C. Sup. Ct. R. 405
Provides limited certificate of admission for in-house counsel. |
Contact: SC Bar
(803) 799-6653 |
www.scbar.org |
| SD | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: State Bar of SD
(605) 224-7554 |
www.sdbar.org |
| TN | No corporate admission rule.
Must have a license to practice in Tennessee. |
Contact: Board of Law Examiners
(615) 741-3234 |
www.tba.org |
| TX | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Steven Moyack
(512) 463-1463 ext. 2316 |
www.state.tx.us
Ethics reporter: www.lawlib.uh.edu/ethics/ |
| UT | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: Utah State Bar,
Katherine Fox (801) 531-9077 |
www.utahbar.org |
| VT | Vt. Comm. on Professional Responsibility, Formal Op. 90-2 (1990) | Contact: Chairman,
Clark Gravel (802) 658-0220 |
www.vtbar.org |
| VA | Va. Comm. on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, Formal Op. 160.
VA UPL Rules allows in-house counsel can do anything except go to court in which case, a licensed attorney must be hired. |
Contact: VA State Bar,
Ann Mickey (804) 775-0500 |
www.vsb.org |
| WA | Rule pending amendment after April 1, 1998. | Contact: Washington Bar Association,
Bob Welden (206) 727-8232 |
www.wsba.org |
| WV | W.Va. Sup. Ct. R. 8.0.
Must be licensed to practice in state. No exception for In-House counsel. |
Contact: WV State Bar,
Tom Tinder (304) 558-7993 |
www.wvbar.org |
| WI | W.I. Comm. on Professional Conduct, Formal Op. 95-2 (1995), 89-8 (1989), 83-5 (1983), 65-2 (1965). | Contact: State Bar of WI,
Tom Watson (608) 257-3838 Ethics Counsel, Keith Kaap (608) 629-5721 |
www.wisbar.org |
| WY | No corporate admission rule. | Contact: WY State Bar, Tony Lewis (307) 632-9061 | www.wyomingbar.org |
Copyright 2000 by the American Bar Association, Stein Center for Law and Ethics at Fordham University School of Law, Attorneys Liability Assurance Society and the American Corporate Counsel Association. All rights reserved.
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