Pursuant to the California Rules of Court, rule 9.49(d)(1)(C), you must complete the legal ethics courses of the New Attorney Training Program within 30 days of the date of approval of your PLP application if you did not have a passing MPRE score on file when you submit your PLP application.
If you take the MPRE in August 2025, you may wish to apply for the PLP once your passing MPRE score has been uploaded to your Applicant Portal. We anticipate that scores from the August 2025 administration of the MPRE will be uploaded by the end of September. Please note that you must have designated California to receive your MPRE score and have your accurate NCBE number and Social Security Number in the Applicant Portal for the State Bar of California to upload your MPRE score.
When will the PLP sunset for first-time takers of the February 2025 CBX?
How do I report a concern, challenge, or feedback about my experience in the PLP to the State Bar?
If you are a PLL or a Supervising Lawyer, please send an email to provisionallicensure@calbar.ca.gov to share any concerns, challenges, or feedback about your experience in the PLP. While this is not a formal complaint process, we value your input and feedback.
Staff who review the submissions may:
Reach out to your supervisor, with your permission, to discuss with them the concerns you are having;
Connect you with the Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) to get career counseling;
Connect you with professional associations or your law school to assist in locating a new Supervising Lawyer;
Pursuant to rule 8.4.1, if you believe your Supervising Lawyer has engaged in discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, we will direct you to the complaint process and provide assistance, as needed; or
Collect data to understand systemic issues, etc.
If I participate in the PLP as a first-time taker of the February 2025 CBX, do I have to pass the CBX to be admitted to practice law?
Yes. Applicants who are eligible for the PLP as first-time takers, similar to the PLLs who qualified to participate as 2020 graduates, must pass the bar exam and meet all other requirements for admission to practice law. Participation in the PLP for these cohorts is not a pathway to licensure; however, it does provide valuable real-world experience practicing law under the supervision of an experienced California attorney. In response to a prior survey, the vast majority (89%) of the PLLs agreed or strongly agreed that the program was valuable in preparing them for the practice of law.
What professional services can a Provisionally Licensed Lawyer (PLL) provide?
Under rule 9.49, a PLL is allowed to provide a broad array of legal services for clients, including appearing before a court; drafting legal documents, such as contracts, transactional documents, and pleadings; engaging in negotiations and settlement discussions; and providing other legal advice, provided that the work is performed under the supervision of their Supervising Lawyer. The limits on what a PLL can do, or what needs to be done under direct versus general supervision, are largely left to the Supervising Lawyer to determine based on the readiness of the PLL.
What are some of the other requirements imposed by the rules?
A PLL must:
Expressly refer to themselves orally and in writing as a Provisionally Licensed Lawyer and/or participant in the State Bar’s Provisional Licensure Program and not describe themselves as a fully licensed lawyer or imply in any way orally or in writing that they are a fully licensed lawyer.
Follow the same professional conduct rules as all fully licensed lawyers.
Agree to be subject to the disciplinary authority of the Supreme Court of California and the State Bar with respect to the laws and rules governing the conduct of lawyers.
Attest that they will not practice California law other than under the supervision of an approved Supervising Lawyer during the time they are provisionally licensed.
Be employed by or volunteering at the firm (as defined in rule 9.49) where the Supervising Lawyer works, which must have an office located in California.
Immediately report the termination of supervision by their Supervising Lawyer to the State Bar.
What are the requirements for a Supervising Lawyer?
To qualify to supervise a PLL, the supervisor must have practiced law for at least four years and have actively practiced law in California or taught law at a California Law School for at least two years immediately preceding the period of supervision.
Supervising lawyers may also be judges of a court of record in the California judicial branch.
Registered In-House Counsel and Registered Military Spouse Attorneys and others “specially admitted” are not California licensed attorneys and cannot act as supervisors for a PLL.
Supervising lawyers must be active licensees in good standing, and must not be ineligible to practice, suspended, under a stayed suspension order, or have resigned or been disbarred in any jurisdiction.
Supervising lawyers must agree to assume professional responsibility for any work of the PLL and must be prepared to assume personal representation of the PLL’s clients.
May a PLL have multiple supervising lawyers to get a broader range of experience? Once I get approved for PLP, how can I add more Supervising Lawyers?
Yes, the rules allow for multiple supervisors. The supervisors may work within the same law firm or at a different law firm if you will be employed or volunteer at more than one organization.
To add a Supervising Lawyer, replace your main PLP employer, or update your employer’s address or contact information, you must submit the PLP Employment Update Notice in the Applicant Portal. There is no fee associated with this change. You must submit a declaration from each Supervising Lawyer with your PLP Employment Update Notice. You may not work as a PLL at any organization or under a new supervisor until the State Bar has approved your PLP application.
Rule 9.49(a)(3)(C) says that by May 31, 2026, I must have a Supervising Lawyer who is committed to supervising me through the end of 2027, or until I pass the bar exam. Does this mean I cannot change my supervisor after May 31, 2026?
No. You must have a Supervising Lawyer who is committed to supervising you by May 31, 2026. However, you are still permitted to change supervisors, if the need arises, and in compliance with rules 9.49(e)(7)-(8), by submitting a PLP Employment Update application in the Applicant Portal with a declaration from each new Supervising Lawyer. You may not work at any organization unless you have submitted a declaration from a Supervising Lawyer with that organization, and the State Bar has approved your PLP Employment Update.
I understand that I must immediately report the termination of supervision by my Supervising Lawyer to the State Bar. How do I report this?
Once you are no longer supervised by your Supervising Lawyer, you must immediately:
