Expanding law-student practice opportunities to the private sector
An ISBA proposal would allow qualified students to practice under the supervision of an attorney in the private sector, not just in legal aid or other governmental settings.
Law students and recent, unlicensed graduates can gain practical experience as attorneys before they graduate and pass the bar exam. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711 currently allows senior law students and recent grads to counsel clients, appear in court, and otherwise engage in legal practice under attorney supervision in public interest or service areas such as legal aid clinics, the public defender's office, or a law office of the state of Illinois or its subdivisions.
An ISBA-championed amendment to Rule 711 would expand its scope to allow senior students and recent graduates to practice in the private sector as well. The ISBA Assembly approved the proposal in December for submission to the Illinois Supreme Court.
The ISBA Special Committee on Rule 711 was created by ISBA President Umberto S. Davi and chaired by Judge Michael Chmiel, who sits on the Circuit Court for the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit in McHenry County. The committee consisted of Judge Chmiel, a law professor, two law students, and eight practicing attorneys. Find out more in the March Illinois Bar Journal.
Member Comments (3)
Long overdue. I found my 711 internship at DePaul Legal Clinic to be my most valuable experience in law school. Hopefully the third year of law school will evolve into an experiential learning experience. A major disconnect in law school is that it does not prepare you to practice law, or even to be prepared to choose the area of law you wish to practice. I'd say that is a pretty significant piece to be missing from the education.
I agree that this is long overdue. I attended law school at the University of Oklahoma in the '80s. Thanks to OK law, during my second and third years I was able to use a limited law license to practice in the private sector under the guidance of a supervising attorney. I handled various types of civil cases, from filing through trial, while working for a private law firm. Simultaneously, I was allowed to work as an intern with the OK Supreme Court, which gave me considerable practice in the appellate area. I feel that both experiences gave me a "leg up" when I returned home to IL to search for a law firm position.
It's about time.