At a session of the Court, held at Court of Appeals Hall in the City of Albany, on the 30th day of April, 2019.

Present, HON. JANET DiFIORE, Chief Judge presiding.

In the Matter of The Amendment of the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law.

Pursuant to section 53 of the Judiciary Law, it is hereby

ORDERED that Rule 520.18 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law (22 NYCRR Rule 520.18) is amended, effective May 22, 2019, or as soon thereafter as section 52 of the Judiciary Law is complied with, by deleting the bracketed material and adding the underlined material to sections 520.18(a)(2).

§ 520.18 Skill Competency Requirement for Admission

(2) Law school certification of credit acquisition. An applicant may submit a certification from the applicant's approved law school confirming that the applicant enrolled in and successfully completed 15 credit hours, as defined by American Bar Association Standards for the Approval of Law Schools, of practice-based experiential coursework designed to foster the development of professional competencies. The 15 credits may be earned in whole or half credits.

(i) For purposes of this subdivision, practice-based experiential coursework is coursework that:

(a) develops the concepts underlying the practice competencies being taught;

(b) provides opportunities for performance by the student other than traditional classroom discussion;

(c) provides for regular individualized student feedback from a faculty member; and

(d) provides opportunities for student self-reflection.

(ii) Practice-based, experiential coursework includes, but is not limited to, those courses designated by a school as "experiential courses" under American Bar Association Standards for the Approval of Law Schools.

(iii) A law school may not count toward this requirement the first four credits earned in an introductory first-year legal research and writing class, first-year moot court class, or any combination thereof.

(iv) A student may earn up to six of the fifteen required credits through law school certified non-credit bearing summer employment supervised by an attorney in good standing in any state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. The supervising attorney must certify to the law school the beginning and ending dates of the employment, that the student satisfactorily completed the employment, and that the work experience: provided the student with an initial orientation session; implemented a system for assignments that assured that the student was actually engaged in the performance of legal work, including a diversity of tasks, as part of the ongoing practical work of the law office during normal business hours and throughout the required period; provided the student with experience and guidance in the skills and values required for basic competence and ethical participation in the legal profession; gave the student timely oral and written feedback; and engaged the student in reflection on his/her experiences and learning during the employment. At least 50 hours of full-time employment is required for each substituted credit under this subdivision.

[(v) Certification. The certification of an applicant's compliance with this paragraph shall list the courses or parts of courses in the law school curriculum and, if applicable, the work experiences completed by the applicant that meet the 15-credit requirement as set forth herein.]

([vi] v) Alternative method of compliance. If the law school does not submit the certification as required in paragraph ([v] 2), the applicant may submit evidence to the Court of Appeals that the requirements of this subdivision have been met by providing a list of the practice-based experiential courses taken by the applicant, the credits awarded, and the course descriptions and/or other information demonstrating that each course meets the requirements of this subdivision. Upon concluding that the applicant has submitted sufficient proof of compliance with this subdivision, the Court shall issue a determination to that effect.