Opinion ID: 1125377
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Legislative Recognition of this Court's Authority over Bar Admissions

Text: The Louisiana Legislature has specifically recognized this Court's authority to regulate bar admissions. Some 77 years ago, the Legislature, in an effort to promote legal education by requiring better qualifications of candidates for admission to the Bar ... called upon this Court to establish procedures for examining the competence of persons to practice law. 1924 La. Acts 113. In that Act, the Legislature provided: Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana, That every applicant for admission to the Bar of this State, whether holding a diploma from a Law School or not, before being licensed to practice law shall be required to pass a satisfactory examination before the Committee of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court, on such subjects and under such rules and regulations as are now, or may hereafter be, prescribed by the Supreme Court ... In 1940, the Louisiana Legislature passed legislation which recognized this Court's inherent authority to regulate the admission of persons to the practice of law and which specifically called upon this Court to exercise that authority. 1940 La. Acts 54. In 1940 La. Acts 54, the Legislature memorialized this Court to create the Louisiana State Bar Association. Section 3 of Act 54 provided: That the Supreme Court is hereby memorialized to exercise its inherent powers by providing for the organization and regulation of the Louisiana State Bar Association; by providing rules and regulations concerning admissions to the Bar, the conduct and activities of the Association and its members; ... and by providing for the discipline, suspension or disbarment of its members. On March 12, 1941, the Court acted in accordance with the Legislature's request and created the Louisiana State Bar Association. The Court adopted and promulgated the LSBA Articles of Incorporation as rules of this Court. Article XII of the original LSBA Articles of Incorporation governed bar admissions. Section 3 of Article XII provided: Powers of Committee. Subject to the approval of the Supreme Court, and except as hereinafter provided, the Committee on Bar Admissions shall adopt, to govern the examinations, whatever rules and regulations it may deem expedient, including when and where examinations will be held and their duration. The LSBA Articles of Incorporation included provisions concerning bar admissions until 1999, when the bar admissions rules were amended and placed in the rules of this Court. See now, La. Supreme Court Rule XVII. Finally, two current laws offer additional statutory recognition of this Court's rulemaking and inherent authority. LSA R.S. 13:72 provides that [t]he Supreme Court for a better administration of justice, may establish and enforce rules necessary to secure the regular and expeditious disposition of its business ... In addition, La.Code Civ. Proc. Art. 191 provides: Art. 191. Inherent judicial power A court possesses inherently all of the power necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction even though not granted expressly by law.