Are you applying for admission to the Oregon State Bar because you have accepted a position with a firm or company that has an office in Oregon from which you will be practicing law? If so, you may wish to complete a temporary practice application. If approved, you would be allowed to practice law while your alternative admission application is pending with the Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners. The temporary practice application is a truncated application that is designed to provide the Oregon State Bar with sufficient information to ensure that Oregon's legal consumers have sufficient protections should their legal matter be handled by a temporary practice licensee.
A. The Temporary Practice Program (“TPP”) and the Temporary Practice Application below (“TPA”) are governed by RFA 13.70 – 13.85 (“Temporary Practice Rule”). Any party to a TPA should read the Temporary Practice Rule, to understand the requirements for obtaining and maintaining a temporary practice license (“TPL”), their role in the TPP, and their reporting obligations mandated by certain subsequent events.
B. Prior to submitting any TPA, the applicant must have submitted to the Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners (“BBX”) a completed application for admission to the Oregon State Bar based on one of the following alternatives to admission by examination: (relevant RFA cited for each alternative): comity (RFA 15.05), house counsel (RFA 16.05), Pro-Bono (RFA 17.05), Military Spouse (18.05) or UBE Score Transfer (19.05 – 19.15). For the application to be considered complete, every applicable question must be answered and the required application fee must be paid to the BBX (“Underlying Admissions Application”). TPA applicants are required to have a good faith belief that they meet the requirements stated in the relevant RFA for the admission sought through the Underlying Admission Application.
C. Each TPA must be properly completed and submitted via the SmartSheet link directly underneath the TPA link below. To ensure that a TPA is complete, applicants are advised to read the document entitled “General Instructions” and follow the steps identified in the SmartSheet link for proper submission. Prior to completing Section 3 of the TPA, applicants should review and complete the document entitled “Insurance Compliance Worksheet”, which is intended to help applicants confirm the appropriate process for compliance with the “Oregon Insurance Requirement” (defined in Insurance Compliance Worksheet). Before submission, applicants should ensure their TPA is complete and meets the requirements outlined in the Temporary Practice Rule. Pursuant to RFA 4.10(3), the $500 Temporary Practice Application fee is non-refundable upon receipt, even if an application is denied for failing to satisfy the requirements of the Temporary Practice Rule.
D. Upon submission of a TPA, Regulatory Counsel’s Office (RCO) will confirm that the application is complete, including all necessary documents for establishing eligibility (i.e. certificates of good standing, certificates of insurance, etc.), and the application fee is paid. RCO will then certify that the applicant, who completed Sections 1-4 (“Applicant”), the employer, who completed Section 5 (“Employer”), and the supervising attorney, who completed Section 6 (“Supervising Attorney”), meet the requirements under the Temporary Practice Rule. Applicant, Employer and Supervising Attorney, are collectively known as “the Parties.” RCO will further certify that Applicant has satisfied the Oregon Insurance Requirement. Any TPA that is incomplete or lacks the $500 fee will be rejected.
E. Upon confirmation of the eligibility of the Parties, and certification that Applicant complies with the Oregon Insurance Requirement, RCO will notify the Parties of Applicant’s authorization to practice law in Oregon (“Authorization Notice”). No Applicant is authorized to practice law unless and until an Authorization Notice is issued. The TPL is effective the date of, and is subject to limitations stated within, the Authorization Notice. The Authorization Notice will state that the TPL is conditioned upon the maintenance of the requirements upon which it was granted, and is subject to the limitations outlined in the Temporary Practice Rule and all other laws or rules governing the practice of law in Oregon.
F. Once a TPL is issued, the Parties to the related TPA, must immediately notify RCO if any of the following occur: 1) Applicant withdraws the Underlying Admission Application with the Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners (“BBX”); 2) the BBX recommends that Applicant’s Underlying Admission Application be denied; 3) Applicant or Supervising Attorney is disbarred, suspended or resigns while a disciplinary action is pending against them in Oregon or any other jurisdiction to which they are admitted; 4) applicant’s status with any jurisdiction in which they are admitted changes from the status represented in their TPA; 5) if a formal complaint is filed against Applicant by the Disciplinary Counsel’s Office of the OSB; 6) Applicant is indicted for any crime in any jurisdiction; 7) Applicant’s employment with the Employer ends or substantially changes from the terms that existed at the time of the Authorization Notice; 8) the relationship between Applicant, Employer or Supervising Attorney changes to such an extent that direct supervision is no longer possible; or 9) a bar complaint is filed against Applicant with the Client Assistance Office of the OSB.
FAQ - Temporary Practice Program