Will Calif. Law Grads Have to Complete Residencies? Bar Mulls Practical Skills Mandate
The State Bar of California has formed a task force that will consider requiring law grads to get practical experience with clients before obtaining a law license.
California Bar President Jon Streeter tells the Daily Journal (sub. req.) the proposal is “still a concept in its infancy.” Among the ideas that will be considered: Mandating legal residencies, similar to those required for doctors, or allowing law school clinical courses to satisfy all or part of the requirement.
Julianne D’Angelo Fellmeth, a law professor at the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego, tells the legal publication that she supports “anything that can give law students a better sense of what it’s actually like to practice law.” But she also sees a potential downside.
Law students who aren’t picked for internships could be barred from the profession, she speculated. And such a requirement could lead to discrimination against students based on “race, gender, the number of piercings.”
