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1995 SESSION

LD7662432
HOUSE BILL NO. 2352
Offered January 23, 1995
A BILL to amend and reenact § 54.1-3926 of the Code of Virginia, relating to proof of education required for bar exam.
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Patrons--Robinson, Cantor, Connally, Cunningham, Darner, Fisher, Griffith, Guest, Hull, Jones, D.C., Jones, J.C., Kidd, McClure, McDonnell, O'Brien, Parrish, Plum, Reid, Ruff, Spruill, Stump, Tata and Wagner; Senators: Benedetti, Calhoun, Colgan, Houck, Lambert, Lucas, Marsh, Maxwell, Saslaw and Waddell
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Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 54.1-3926 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 54.1-3926. Preliminary proof of education required of applicant.

In addition to the certificate required by § 54.1-3925, before taking any examination under this article the applicant shall furnish to the Board satisfactory evidence that he has:

1. Completed all degree requirements from a law school approved by the American Bar Association or the Board; or

2. Received a bachelor's degree from a four-year accredited college or university and studied law for at least three years, in the office of an attorney practicing in this Commonwealth, whose full time is devoted to the practice of law, or studied law for at least three years partly in a law school approved by the American Bar Association or the Board and partly in the practicing attorney's office, or completed a course of study at an exclusively part-time weekend law school located in the Commonwealth and said course of study is determined by the Board to be equivalent to a four-year study of law in a practicing attorney’s office. The attorney in whose office the applicant intends to study shall be approved by the Board which shall prescribe reasonable conditions as to the course of study.

No exclusively part-time weekend law school shall be required to meet the accreditation standards of an educational agency or association that requires full-time faculty members.

2. That the provisions of this act shall apply only to law schools located in a city having a population between 105,000 and 125,000, that the Board shall adopt guidelines for the establishment of law-school education under this section, and that the provisions of this section shall not apply to any other law school until July 1, 1996. The Board shall make those guidelines available to the General Assembly for its review prior to the 1996 Session of the General Assembly.