Proposed | Amendments to Unauthorized Practice Rules
March 17, 2026
At its meeting on February 28, 2026, in Richmond, the Virginia State Bar Council approved proposed amendments to Part 6, § I of the Rules of Court, Unauthorized Practice Rules. A petition was sent to the Supreme Court of Virginia for approval on March 9, 2026.
view the petition to the Court. (PDF posted 03/17/26)
After discussion at the June 2025 VSB Executive Committee meeting, the Legal Ethics Committee considered the proposal again and modified the application of the rule to include ‘court clerks, law librarians, and court-approved navigators and self-help center staff.’ The amendments will be submitted to VSB Council at their meeting in February 2026.
view the proposed revisions (PDF posted 10/22/25)
Proposed | Amendments to Unauthorized Practice Rules
March 27, 2025
At its meeting on March 20, 2025, the Legal Ethics Committee approved amendments to Part 6, § I of the Rules of Court, Unauthorized Practice Rules. It will be submitted to VSB Council at their meeting in June.
VSB Seeks Comment on Proposed Amendments to Unauthorized Practice Rules
January 17, 2025
The Virginia State Bar seeks public comment on proposed amendments to Part 6, § I of the Rules of Court, Unauthorized Practice Rules.
The proposed amendments to Paragraph 3(O) would permit court clerks, librarians, courthouse navigators, and self-help center staff to answer questions about or otherwise assist with identifying, selecting, or completing a form prescribed by the Supreme Court of Virginia or other tribunal. The proposed rule also permits those persons to review the form to determine whether it has been completed with all required information and to assist with completing the form if a person is unable to do so because of disability, literacy, or language barriers.
The proposed amendments were recommended to the committee after being unanimously approved by the Virginia Access to Justice Commission. As explained by the Commission in its recommendation, self-represented litigants experience great difficulty and confusion in choosing which court forms they must use, yet many court clerks with whom they interact are not comfortable under the current UPL rule in providing any guidance on which forms are appropriate or on how to fill them out. This amendment makes clear that clerks, trained law librarians, and courthouse navigators acting in a program approved by the local court may provide such information and assist a self-represented litigant in completing court forms without fear of violating the UPL rules.
Inspection and Comment
The proposed rule amendments may be inspected below, or at the office of the Virginia State Bar, 1111 East Main Street, Suite 700, Richmond, Virginia 23219-0060, between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
Any individual, business, or other entity may submit written comments in support of or in opposition to the proposed rule amendments with Cameron M. Rountree, executive director of the Virginia State Bar, not later than March 7, 2025. Comments may be submitted via email to [email protected].
View proposed amendments to Rule Part 6, § I, page 3 (O.) (pdf)