That depends on each Provisional Licensee's available time, speed of professional development and workplace opportunities. Provisional Licensees with disabilities, caretaking responsibilities and other time demands can pursue the program at their own pace.
Yes, but you should seriously weigh the downsides. You will pay two fees, and time devoted to one exam will interfere with time needed for the other exam. If you intend to apply for and take both, reach out to admissions@osbar.org to navigate your dual application process. The application portal will not permit you to have applications pending for both programs at the same time.
Applicants pay an initial fee of $1,000 to apply to the program. If they receive a Provisional License, they must pay an additional annual license fee of $500. There is also a $150 fee for ILG for uploading portfolio materials and an annual ILG fee of $150 for each year that you remain in the program. We encourage applicants to see if their employers will cover the cost of the SPPE application fee.
Yes. Send an email to admissions@osbar.org with the subject line “Withdraw Bar Application – Transfer Credit to SPPE”. An admissions staff member will contact you to determine your eligibility. To be considered eligible for the SPPE program we must have an application on file from the participating supervising attorney and employer. The latest date to request a transfer credit is 28 days prior to the first day of the exam.
When you receive a registration link to apply, your employer should send an email to admissions@osbar.org with the subject line “Need Assistance with Employer Paying SPPE Application Fee”. An admissions staff member will contact your employer to pay the required funds before you submit your SPPE application.
The Certificate of Eligibility evidences affirms that you qualify for the SPPE program and have passed the character and fitness review. It does not allow you to practice law; it is an administrative step in obtaining your Provisional License. A Provisional License allows you to engage in many lawyering tasks under supervision.
Public facing information, including the member directory, does not include this information. However, the information is included in Oregon State Bar public records and is discoverable if requested.
No. Successfully completing the SPPE makes you eligible for bar admission in Oregon, but not in other jurisdictions. If other states adopt similar programs in the future, SPPE success may become portable.
That depends on the jurisdiction. For many jurisdictions, passing the SPPE instead of the UBE should not interfere with reciprocity-based admission. Some states do not permit reciprocity at all. Others limit reciprocity to lawyers who have passed a “written bar examination.” It is possible that other jurisdictions will recognize the SPPE as an examination, but that has not yet been tested. For information about reciprocity in any jurisdiction, check that jurisdiction's bar admissions website and rules.
Yes, as long as your Supervising Attorney is able to adequately supervise and support your work.
No, but your employer must regularly operate in Oregon, and Supervising Attorneys must have been an active member of the Oregon State Bar for at least two years prior to submitting their application. Make sure your employer and Supervising Attorney have enough work related to Oregon or federal law to fulfil all SPPE requirements.
No, but a Provisional License only authorizes Oregon practice. The Oregon State Bar cannot advise SPPE participants on the rules regulating the unauthorized practice of law in other states. Additionally, the Professional Liability Fund may not cover work unrelated to Oregon clients. If you are applying from outside of Oregon, the SPPE application portal may not accept your application. Email admissions@osbar.org for help.
No. Doing so would risk engaging in the unauthorized practice of law in other jurisdictions, and it would be difficult for Oregon examiners to evaluate work based on the law of another state. Your work can mention the law of other states in passing, but it must focus on Oregon or federal law.
Yes, as long as that work does not constitute the unauthorized practice of law. Some legal work, such as research, does not require a law license.
Applicants who are not U.S. citizens should share the SPPE rules with an immigration attorney to determine their eligibility for the program and the specific visa that they must obtain. Keep in mind that completing the SPPE pathway will require at least 4-6 months of paid work—and often longer.
Please contact one of the following third party credential evaluators to have your law degree evaluated:
Your employer and Supervising Attorney can submit an application as soon as they make the commitment to hire you, even if they will not provide work until you receive your Provisional License.
Your employer is required, at minimum, to pay you the same salary and benefits provided to other recent law school graduates. The bar recommends that employers strongly consider giving Provisional Licensees the same salary and benefits they offer to newly licensed lawyers. The cost of living in the employer's region, the Provisional Licensee's practice area, the employer's size and the nature of the employer's organization will also affect compensation.
Yes, but only if you have a grant or stipend compensating you for your work, or if the work is provided pro bono to the client without your employer billing for the work. Even when these criteria are met, the Oregon State Bar encourages employers to compensate Provisional Licensees.
No. If you find your workplace unsuitable, you may seek a new employer and Supervising Attorney. Similarly, if your work is unsatisfactory, your employer may dismiss you before finishing the SPPE pathway.
Supervising Attorneys can delegate responsibility to an attorney who has the same employer, is an active member of the Oregon State Bar and has the knowledge and skills to supervise you effectively.
If you anticipate that you will be unsupervised for any period of time, email sppe@osbar.org to advise the admission team of your last day of supervision. Your provisional license will be temporarily suspended on that date. When you know who your next Supervising Attorney will be, have your new Supervising Attorney complete a Supervising Attorney Application, then amend your application through your Application Portal. If you change employers when changing your Supervising Attorney, the employer must also complete a new Employer Application.
“Satisfactorily complete” means that you earned a passing grade in a graded course or a pass in a pass/fail course. If you audit a course, your law school will need to confirm that you completed all course requirements with a passing grade.
No. Only satisfactory completion of the required courses, confirmed by a law school registrar, will satisfy the requirement.
No. Course requirements must be completed before admission to the Oregon State Bar as a fully licensed attorney. If you already graduated from law school but did not complete a required course, you can still apply to the SPPE and complete the course requirements at an ABA-accredited law school as you work through the program.
You can audit either Evidence or Business Associations. To register as an auditor, visit Lewis & Clark's Auditing Webpage and complete an audit application.
First, complete an online inquiry form. Non-Willamette alums may need to submit transcripts and other documents before registering. Graduates can enroll in any of the SPPE-required courses if the course has space available.
Register as non-degree seeking students using this step-by-step process. To obtain approval to audit a course, contact the University of Oregon Law Registrar's Office at lawregistrar@uoregon.edu. Non-degree seeking students and auditing students are limited to 8 credits per semester.