Special Issues

Provisional Licensure Program

Find a Supervisor / Be a Supervisor

Find a Supervisor / Be a Supervisor

To help those who qualify to fulfill their supervisory needs for licensure, the ACBA is offering this opportunity to add contact information to a list that will be promoted to ACBA members who are potential Supervising Lawyers.

In response to the challenges facing law students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Supreme Court on July 16, 2020, directed the State Bar of California “to implement, as soon as possible, a temporary supervised Provisional Licensure Program — a limited license to practice specified areas of law under the supervision of a licensed attorney.” On October 22, 2020, the Court approved New Rule 9.49, implementing the provisional licensure program, effective November 17, 2020. On January 28, 2021, the Court approved an amendment to the program expanding eligibility. The Provisional Licensure Program application became available to candidates qualifying under the expanded criteria starting on February 24, 2021.

Applications to the program itself must be submitted to THE STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA. May 31, 2021 is the application deadline for the EXPANDED PROGRAM. All other applicants should contact the State Bar of California for deadlines. Please direct all questions about the Provisional Licensure Program to admissions@calbar.ca.gov.

  • Those seeking to be provisionally licensed can use the form at the bottom of this page to be listed for potential Supervising Lawyers to contact you.
    • Note: filling out this information is not a substitute for applying for provisional licensing through the State Bar of California, nor does filling out this form guarantee securing a supervisor.
  • Those interested in being a Supervising Lawyer can view the list of potential supervisees here » (you must log in as an ACBA member to view this list)

Details for Supervisors

Requirements for serving as a supervising lawyer:

  • To qualify to supervise a Provisionally Licensed Lawyer, the supervisor must have practiced law for at least four years and been an active California licensed lawyer for at least two years.
  • A supervising lawyer may meet the requirement for “actively practicing law” by teaching at a California law school.
  • Supervising lawyers may also be judges in the California judicial branch.
  • Registered In-House Counsel and Registered Military Spouse Attorneys are not California licensed attorneys and cannot act as supervisors for a Provisionally Licensed Lawyer.

Supervision and Evaluation of Provisionally Licensed Lawyer:

  • (1) All of the eligibility requirements, duties, and responsibilities of a Supervising Lawyer set forth under rule 9.49(i) apply to Supervising Lawyers under this rule.
  • (2) Each Supervising Lawyer shall provide an evaluation of the Provisionally Licensed Lawyer in the format developed by the State Bar of California. The evaluation shall include the following:
    • (A) Verification of the number of hours of supervised legal practice completed;
    • (B) A general description of the types of supervised legal practice performed by the Provisionally Licensed Lawyer;
    • (C) Whether, in the opinion of the Supervising Lawyer, based on the supervised legal practice performed during the program, the Provisionally licensed Lawyer possesses the minimum competence expected of an entry level attorney; and
    • (D) Other criteria established by the State Bar.
  • (3) If a Supervising Lawyer cannot attest that a Provisionally Licensed Lawyer possess the minimum competence of an entry level attorney, the Provisionally Licensed Lawyer may not be admitted to the State Bar of California under this program without additional hours of supervised legal practice sufficient to establish to the Supervising Lawyer that the Provisionally Licensed Lawyer possesses the minimum competence of an entry level attorney, and submission of a satisfactory evaluation by that Supervising Lawyer before the termination of the program.

Declaration form:

View potential supervisees:

  • Those interested in being a Supervising Lawyer can view a list of potential supervisees here » (you must log in as an ACBA member to view this list)

Details for Supervisees

For those interested in participating in this program under a Supervising Lawyer:

The California Supreme Court issued an administrative order approving a provisional licensure program for 2020 law school graduates who are employed by or volunteering with, or have a conditional offer of employment from or to volunteer with a firm that has an office located in California and who are practicing law under a Supervising Lawyer who satisfies the requirements for serving as a Supervising Lawyer under this rule.  Provisionally Licensed Lawyers will be able to engage in all of the same activities that a fully licensed lawyer is permitted to engage in, under their supervising lawyer’s guidance, subject to certain restrictions. Both the Provisionally Licensed Lawyer and their supervising lawyer are expected to abide by all applicable State Bar of California rules and guidelines and are bound by the disciplinary authority of the California Supreme Court and  State Bar of California.

In January 2021, the California Supreme court expanded the Provisional Licensure program to include those who scored 1390 or higher on any California Bar Exam dating back from February 2020 to July 2015. Those with qualifying scores will be permitted to be admitted to the State Bar following completion of 300 hours of supervised Legal Practices, without retaking another bar exam.

Applications to the program itself must be submitted to THE STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA. May 31, 2021 is the application deadline for the EXPANDED PROGRAM. All other applicants should contact the State Bar of California for deadlines. Please direct all questions about the Provisional Licensure Program to admissions@calbar.ca.gov.

Questions about the program? Email admissions@calbar.ca.gov »

Supervisee Listing Form

Use the form below to be included on our list of supervisees looking for a supervisor.

NOTE: The information you submit on this form will be PUBLICLY viewable to ACBA members who are logged into our website.

IMPORTANT: filling out this information is not a substitute for applying for provisional licensing through the State Bar of California, nor does filling out this form guarantee securing a supervisor.

Potential Supervising Lawyers who are ACBA members can view submissions here.

IMPORTANT: When you have found a supervisor, please contact us at valerie@acbanet.org so we can remove you from this list. Thank you!