| 1 | 1 | | By: Virdell H.B. No. 1387 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to a person's eligibility to sit for the examination for a |
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| 9 | 9 | | license to practice law in this state. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 82.022(a), Government Code, is amended |
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| 12 | 12 | | to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) The supreme court may adopt rules on eligibility for |
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| 14 | 14 | | examination for a license to practice law and on the manner in which |
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| 15 | 15 | | the examination is conducted. The rules may include: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) provisions to ensure: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (A) good moral character of each candidate for a |
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| 18 | 18 | | license; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (B) adequate prelegal study and attainment; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (C) at least two years of adequate study of the |
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| 21 | 21 | | law or practical experience in the legal field [for at least two |
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| 22 | 22 | | years], which may include: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (i) a [covering the] course of study |
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| 24 | 24 | | prescribed by the supreme court or the equivalent of that course; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (ii) an apprenticeship supervised by an |
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| 26 | 26 | | attorney licensed to practice law in this state; or |
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| 27 | 27 | | (iii) professional experience as a |
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| 28 | 28 | | paralegal in this state; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) the legal topics to be covered by: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (A) a [the] course of study prescribed by the |
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| 31 | 31 | | supreme court or an equivalent course of study; and [by] |
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| 32 | 32 | | (B) the examination; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (3) the times and places for holding the examination; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (4) the manner of conducting the examination; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (5) the grades necessary for licensing; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (6) any other matter consistent with this chapter |
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| 37 | 37 | | desirable to make the issuance of a license to practice law evidence |
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| 38 | 38 | | of good character and fair capacity and attainment and proficiency |
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| 39 | 39 | | in the knowledge of law. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 2. Section 82.023(c), Government Code, is amended |
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| 41 | 41 | | to read as follows: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (c) The board shall notify each person [first-year law |
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| 43 | 43 | | student] who files the declaration not later than the date |
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| 44 | 44 | | established by supreme court rule of the board's decision as to the |
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| 45 | 45 | | person's [student's] acceptable character and fitness. [The board |
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| 46 | 46 | | shall notify all other declarants not later than the date |
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| 47 | 47 | | established by supreme court rule whether or not it has determined |
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| 48 | 48 | | that the declarant has acceptable character and fitness.] |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. Section 82.024, Government Code, is amended to |
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| 50 | 50 | | read as follows: |
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| 51 | 51 | | Sec. 82.024. LAW STUDY OR PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE |
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| 52 | 52 | | REQUIREMENTS; ELIGIBILITY FOR EXAMINATION. (a) In this section, |
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| 53 | 53 | | "approved law school" means a law school the supreme court approves |
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| 54 | 54 | | for the period the court designates as maintaining the standards |
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| 55 | 55 | | required for approval and offering the course of study the court |
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| 56 | 56 | | prescribes or an equivalent course of study. |
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| 57 | 57 | | (b) A person satisfies the eligibility requirements to sit |
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| 58 | 58 | | for the examination for a license to practice law if the person |
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| 59 | 59 | | [who] has completed: |
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| 60 | 60 | | (1) the prescribed course of study or its equivalent |
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| 61 | 61 | | in an approved law school; |
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| 62 | 62 | | (2) a two-year apprenticeship supervised by an |
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| 63 | 63 | | attorney licensed to practice law in this state; or |
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| 64 | 64 | | (3) at least two years of full-time professional |
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| 65 | 65 | | employment as a paralegal in this state [has satisfied the law study |
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| 66 | 66 | | requirements for taking the examination for a license to practice |
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| 67 | 67 | | law and is eligible to take the bar examination. An approved law |
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| 68 | 68 | | school is one that is approved by the supreme court for the time |
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| 69 | 69 | | period designated by the court as maintaining the additional |
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| 70 | 70 | | standards to retain approval]. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 72 | 72 | | of this Act, the Texas Supreme Court and the Board of Law Examiners |
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| 73 | 73 | | shall adopt rules as necessary to implement Sections 82.022, |
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| 74 | 74 | | 82.023, and 82.024, Government Code, as amended by this Act. |
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| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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