La. R. Sup. Ct. 15

As amended through October 31, 2024
Section 15 - Temporary Admission of Military Spouse Attorneys
(A) Due to the unique mobility requirements of military families who support the defense of our nation, an attorney who is the spouse of an active duty service member of the United States Uniformed Services, as defined by the United States Department of Defense, and is stationed within Louisiana may obtain a limited license to practice law without examination pursuant to the terms of this Section.
(B)Requirements An applicant temporarily admitted under this section must:
(1) have been admitted to practice law in another U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia;
(2) be a graduate of a law school located in the United States or its territories that is accredited by the American Bar Association as of the date on which a juris doctorate or its equivalent is conferred on the applicant. If an applicant is a graduate of a law school that is not located in the United States or its territories, such applicant must submit an application for an equivalency determination in accordance with Section 6 of this Rule.
(3) establish that the applicant is currently in good standing in all jurisdictions where admitted;
(4) be present in Louisiana as the spouse of an active-duty service member (i) assigned to duty in Louisiana, or (ii) assigned to duty outside the United States but whose last assignment within the United States was Louisiana;
(5) establish that the applicant is not the subject of a pending disciplinary matter in any jurisdiction;
(6) have not been disciplined for professional misconduct by any jurisdiction within the 10 years immediately preceding filing of the Louisiana application or been disbarred at any time by any jurisdiction; and
(7) be (i) employed and supervised by a Louisiana-licensed attorney who is in good standing and who is currently engaged in the practice of law in Louisiana; or (ii) employed by the state of Louisiana or a local government within Louisiana and supervised in that employment by a Louisiana-licensed attorney who is currently engaged in the practice of law in Louisiana.
(C)Procedure
(1) An applicant who seeks admission pursuant to this rule must submit to the Committee on Bar Admissions an affidavit confirming that the applicant satisfies the requirements of Section 15(B) above; that the applicant agrees to supplement his or her application with any information that might arise during the limited admission to practice that bears on any of the requirements of Section 15(B); that the applicant agrees to notify the Clerk of the Louisiana Supreme Court of any information that might arise during the limited admission to practice that bears on any of the requirements of Section 15(B); that the applicant has read, is familiar with and agrees to abide by the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct and the Louisiana Rules for Disciplinary Enforcement; that the applicant will comply with any obligations imposed by the Rules for Continuing Legal Education; and that the applicant submits to the jurisdiction of the Louisiana Supreme Court with respect to any and all disciplinary matters.
(2) An applicant must submit to the Committee on Bar Admissions an affidavit of the Louisiana attorney who will, pursuant to Section 15(B)(6), supervise the applicant if the application is granted. The supervising lawyer must confirm in the affidavit that he or she will (A) supervise the applicant in the performance of the applicant's legal work and (B) notify the Office of Disciplinary Counsel in the event the applicant leaves the employ of the supervising attorney's law firm or government entity or is otherwise no longer being supervised by that attorney.
(3) The applicant must submit to the Committee on Bar Admissions the following:
(a) certificates or official transcripts evidencing compliance with the provisions of Section 15(B)(2) related to legal education;
(b) a certificate of good standing from the highest court or the admissions authority of a state, commonwealth, territory or the District of Columbia in which the applicant is currently licensed to practice law;
(c) a copy of the United States military orders of the applicant's spouse establishing that the spouse is present in Louisiana because of military orders; and
(d) any fee required by the Committee.
(4) If an applicant satisfactorily completes the steps required by this rule and the Committee determines that the applicant is qualified under this rule, the Committee shall provide to the applicant a letter recommending admission of a spouse of an active-duty service member.
(5) At any time within six months of the receipt of a letter recommending admission of a spouse of an active-duty service member, an applicant may file a Petition with the Court seeking limited admission to the Bar of the State of Louisiana. The applicant shall submit the Petition with the letter recommending admission of a spouse of an active-duty service member along with any fee the Court may assess.
(D)Termination. The limited admission provided by this rule shall terminate automatically upon the occurrence of any of the following:
(1) any of the provisions of Section 15(B) are no longer satisfied; or
(2) the attorney admitted under this rule is admitted to the Bar of the State of Louisiana under any other provision of this Rule. In the event Section 15(D)(1) or (2) applies as a result of the death of the spouse of the attorney admitted under this rule, the termination of the limited admission provided by this rule will be subject to a six-month grace period.

La. R. Sup. Ct. 15

Adopted September 23, 2022, effective 9/23/2022.