North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Dakota House Bill HB1609 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	25.0917.02002
2		-	Title.03000
3		-	Adopted by the Judiciary Committee
	1	+	25.0917.02000
4	2		Sixty-ninth
5		-	February 25, 2025
6	3		Legislative Assembly
7	4		of North Dakota
8	5		Introduced by
9	6		Representatives VanWinkle, Heilman, Hendrix, D. Johnston, Koppelman, Morton, D. Ruby,
10	7		Toman
11	8		Senators Castaneda, Paulson, Wobbema
12	9		A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 27-11 of the North Dakota
13	10		Century Code, relating to admission to the bar examination through an apprenticeship program
14	11		developed, established, and implemented by the supreme court.
15	12		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NORTH DAKOTA:
16	13		SECTION 1. A new section to chapter 27-11 of the North Dakota Century Code is created
17	14		and enacted as follows:
18	15		State bar apprenticeship p rogram.
19	16		1.The supreme court, in cooperation with the state board of law examiners, shall
20	17		establish and implement an apprenticeship program to approve applicants to sit for the
21	18		bar examination as an alternative to receiving a juris doctor or equivalent degree from
22	19		a law school approved, or provisionally approved, for accreditation by the American
23	20		bar association.
24	21		2.The apprenticeship program must provide the following:
25	22		a.An applicant for admission to the state bar is qualified to be examined by the
26	23		state bar board if an applicant:
27	24		(1)Obtains a four-year college degree; and
28	25		(2)Has completed two thousand hours of engagement under the supervision of
29	26		a licensed attorney or a licensed tribal advocate, over a period not to
30	27		exceed five years.
31		-	Page No. 1 25.0917.02002
	28	+	b.A supervising attorney or supervising licensed tribal advocate must verify the
	29	+	engagement of an applicant by submitting an affidavit to the state bar board.
	30	+	c.The state bar board may not require a commencement notice, application, or
	31	+	registration from an applicant before a supervised engagement.
	32	+	Page No. 1 25.0917.02000
32	33		HOUSE BILL NO. 1609
33		-	~~PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO~~
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53	58		Legislative Assembly
54		-	b.A supervising attorney or supervising licensed tribal advocate must verify the
55		-	engagement of an applicant by submitting an affidavit to the state bar board.
56		-	c.The state bar board may not require a commencement notice, application, or
57		-	registration from an applicant before a supervised engagement.
58	59		d.An applicant has met the engagement requirement under paragraph 2 of
59	60		subdivision a of subsection 2 by submitting an affidavit from a supervising
60	61		attorney or supervising tribal advocate verifying an applicant has completed two
61	62		thousand hours of engagement.
62	63		e.An applicant for admission to the bar is qualified for examination by the state
63	64		board of law examiners by serving as a state legislator for four or more years.
64	65		f.The supreme court, after receiving and considering the state board of law
65	66		examiners' report of the results of an examination of applicants for admission to
66	67		the bar of this state, including applicants from the apprenticeship program, and
67	68		the recommendations of the board, shall enter an order authorizing the issuance
68	69		of certificates of admission to the bar to those applicants the court considers
69	70		entitled to admission.
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