Evening star., 1938-12-09
District Court
Adopts Own
Admission Rule
Requirements to
Practice Follow
Bor's Proposals
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
With the American Bar Asso.
citation leading the ,Day, organ.
1sed la,Uyers haze sought through
out the country to raise standards
for admission to the bar. The
controversy here has not CEN
tered ON the deSirability of rails
ing standards, but rather on hoD
that should be done so as 1Uork
the least hardship ON those lack
ing in formal college training,
but possessing good general edu-
cations.
Refusing to follow the recent ac-
ton of the Court of Appeals, the
United States District Court today
adopted its own revised rule for ad-
mission to the bar, following closely
the recommendation made several
months ago by the District Bar
Association.
1t was understood that as a result
OF the lower courts action, the Bar
Association will appoint committee
TO ask the Court of Appeals to modi-
fy its more Stringent rule.
Salient features of the District
Court rule, which becomes effective
on and after October /, 1914, are:
IA candidate for the bar ex-
animation must have studied
diligently" for at least three aca-
demic years in a law school ap-
proved by the court.
2-The candidate before enroll
ing in a law school must have
had two years of academic edu-
cation in a college or university
approved by the court, or, as al
ternatives, must have certificate
from such college or university
showing that he had the equiva-
lent of such education, or a GER
tificate from the courts Commit
tee on Admissions to the same
effect.
Unanimously Adopted.
The rule was adopted unanimously
by the District Court, Chief Justice
Wheat and Associated Justices
Bailey, Gordon, Adkins, Luhring
Cox, Proctor, Let's, ODonoghue and
Laws signing the order
The rule recently adopted by the
Court of Appeals, in addition to
requiring, in effect, four years of
night study, specified, without any
alternative, that candidates for ad-
mission to its bar must, after July l.,
1943, have had two years of pre-
legal work in college or university
approved by the Association of
Schools and Colleges of the Middle
States and Maryland.
Spokesman for the night law
schools said the District Court rule
would benefit many Government
employees here who have sufficient
general education to pass the speci-
fled examination, but who have not
had two years of formal college
work
AS matters now stand. however,
there is likely to result situation
in which a lawyer would be eligible
to practice before the District Court,
but couldn't practice in the Court of
Appeals.
Text of Order.
The text of the District Court
order follows:
Order: That the last paragraph
of section numbered l of rule 81 of
the rules of civil procedure of the
District Court of the United States
for the District of Columbia be
amended to read as follows:
No student or other applicant
shall be admitted until the commit
tee shall have caused an exhaustive
examination to be made by an ap-
propriate agency as to his character
and favorable report made by the
committee, and the applicant shall
in addition have an Endorsement
as to his good character from some
member of the bar of this court
engaged in active practice therein.
The committee may give such notice
of the application by advertisement
in a newspaper or posting of the
name in the court house for a
| designated time, or both, as the
committee may deem proper
And it is further
"Ordered, That said section I Of
said rule 81 be further amended by
adding at the end of said section the
following:
After the first day of October,
1914, no student shall be admitted
unless, in addition to high school
education, he shall have studied
diligently for at least three academic
years in a law school approved BY
the court, and before enrolling in
said law school, had two academic
years education in college or uni
versity approved by the court, or
have certificate from such college
or university that before enrolling
in law school he has passed an ex-
animation showing that he had the
equivalent of two years education in
such college or university or has a
| certificate from the committee that
before enrolling in a law school he
had the equivalent of two years ed
ucation in such college or university.
If a special examination shall be
necessary to satisfy the committee as
to any of the foregoing educational
requirements, applicant shall pay in
advance to the committee the sum
of $40 to defray the cost of the ex-
animation, and this sum shall be in
addition to the fees provided in Sec
tion of this rule"
Earnest Heads Committee.
The Committee on Admissions and
Grievances of District Court, headed
by John Paul Earnest. sets the bar
examination. Mr.. Earnest at the
recent general term session of the
court fought any rule which would
place a premium solely on college
education, telling the court that he
desired to afford the meritoriouS
student, who lacked college work, an
opportunity to become a H. nber OF
the bar of District 0.a,t. He
pointed out that there are hun
dreds of people in the Government
service here that desire legal edit
cation and membership in the Dis