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Adopted | amendments to Rule 1A:5, Virginia Corporate Counsel & Corporate Counsel Registrants. Effective January 1, 2020.
On November 1, 2019, the Supreme Court of Virginia amended Rule 1A:5 regarding Virginia corporate counsel & corporate counsel registrants. The amendments are effective January 1, 2020. These rule changes do not apply to Corporate Counsel Registrants under Part Two and require no action by lawyers currently certificated under Part One.
The new amendments require lawyers not admitted in Virginia who wish to serve as Part I Corporate Counsel for a Virginia employer to apply to the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners (VBBE) on forms to be provided by the VBBE. Applicants must undergo a character and fitness evaluation and cover the costs of the investigation and the fee for the application. An applicant must be admitted by examination and licensed to practice law in the court of last resort in another state or territory of the United States and in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which the applicant has been admitted.
A Corporate Counsel Registrant under Part II of Rule 1A:5 will continue to register with the Virginia State Bar. No substantive changes were made to Part II of the Rule.
View the court's order (pdf)
This version shows the rule with changes tracked. (pdf)
Updated: January 8, 2020