Skills Competency Requirement and Professional Values Bar Admission Requirement
In December 2015, the Court of Appeals adopted Section 520.18 to the Rules for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law (22 NYCRR 520.18). This new provision requires applicants seeking admission in New York to establish that they have acquired skills and professional values necessary to competently practice law. Applicants may satisfy this requirement by completing one of five separate pathways described in section 520.18.For applicants who qualify for the bar examination based upon having attended an ABA-approved law school and having satisfied the requirements of section 520.3 or based upon their foreign legal education alone under section 520.6, this requirement will first apply to those who commence their legal studies after August 1, 2016.
As to foreign-educated applicants who are required to complete an LL.M. program at an ABA-approved law school in order to sit for the bar examination under section 520.6, the new requirements will apply to those who commence their LL.M. program after August 1, 2018. A copy of the Notice to the Bar announcing the New Skills Competency Requirement and the newly enacted Section 520.18 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals at: http://www.courts.state.ny.us/ctapps/news/nottobar/nottobar121615.pdf.
FAQs for New York’s Skills Competency and Professional Values Bar Admission Requirement are available at:
http://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/news/skills.pdf