Court Opinion

ID: 9695607
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 18:25:01.058542+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:14.916273
License: Public Domain

COLE, Judge,
dissenting:
Today the Court sees fit to admit the petitioner, R.G.S., to the Maryland Bar under Rule 14 of the Maryland Rules Governing Admission to the Bar. Because I do not believe that the specific requirements of Rule 14 have been satisfied, and because I feel that the Court is foresaking more appropriate remedies in favor of a remedy which will provide the most expeditious resolution of the matter at hand, I respectfully dissent.
Rule 14, in conjunction with Maryland Code (1957, 1987 Repl.Yol.) Art. 10, § 7 1 allows a member of an out-of-state bar to be admitted to practice in Maryland if he is able to meet certain requirements and pass a special attorneys’ examination on procedure and professional responsibility. Under Rule 14(a), the out-of-state attorney must file a petition which states:
*642(i) that he intends to practice law in this State or that he intends to teach law full-time at a law school approved by the American Bar Association, naming the law school;
(ii) each jurisdiction in which, and each Court by which the petitioner was admitted to the Bar; and whether by examination, diploma privilege or on motion;
(iii) that for at least five of the seven years immediately preceding the filing of his petition he has been regularly engaged in any of the following activities: as a practitioner of law; as a full-time teacher of law at a law school approved by the American Bar Association; or as a judge of a court of record;
(iv) that he has for at least five years before filing his petition been regularly engaged as a practitioner or teacher of the law or a judge or any combination thereof; and that the five years during which he was so engaged was performed within seven years immediately prior to the filing of his petition.
A definition of “practitioner of the law” is provided by Rule 14 d.
For purposes of this Rule a practitioner of the law is defined as a member of the Bar of another State, District or Territory of the United States including Puerto Rico who throughout the period specified in the petition has regularly engaged in the practice of law within the United States and its territories, including Puerto Rico, as the principal means of earning his livelihood and whose entire professional experience and responsibilities have been sufficient to satisfy the Board that the petitioner should be admitted under this Rule. The Board may consider, among other things,
(i) the extent of the petitioner’s experience in general practice;
(ii) if the petitioner is or has been a specialist, the extent of his experience and reputation for competence in such specialty;
(iii) if the petitioner is or has been an employee of a law firm, government or a corporation or other employer, the *643nature and extent of his professional duties and responsibilities as such employee, the extent of his contacts with and responsibility to clients or other beneficiaries of his professional skills, the extent of his professional contacts with practicing lawyers and judges and his professional reputation among them and
(iv) any professional articles or treatises of which the petitioner has been the author.
I do not question that R.G.S.’s background and professional experience, as more fully articulated in the majority opinion, support a finding that he should not have to sit for the regular bar examination. On the other hand, I do question whether R.G.S. is qualified to sit for the limited attorney bar examination under this Court’s prior interpretations of Rule 14.
"While the petitioner has extensive professional experience in the law, Rule 14 requires that we focus on the seven years preceding the petitioner’s filing for admission to the Maryland Bar. As the petitioner made his initial filing on December 22, 1986, the starting point is December 22, 1979.
From December 22, 1979, until May, 1983, (a total of 3 years and 5 months), the petitioner served as a full-time professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. This nearly 3 and one-half year period is counted toward the 5 of 7 year requirement of Rule 14(a)(iii). Petitioner also avers that since 1983, he has on a full time basis served as “of counsel” with an Annapolis firm. To satisfy the Rule, however, the petitioner must demonstrate that while he served as “of counsel” with the Annapolis law firm he was regularly engaged in the practice of law. The part time teaching of law is not recognized in Rule 14(a)(iii) as a qualifying pursuit.
The State Board of Law Examiners (Board) concluded that the petitioner was not engaged in the practice of law while serving the Annapolis law firm. Specifically, the Board held that the “[hjallmark of the practicing lawyer is responsibility to clients regarding their affairs, whether as *644advisor, advocate, negotiator, as intermediary between clients, or as evaluator by examining a client’s legal affairs.” Letter of State Board of Law Examiners to Court of Appeals dated October 28, 1987. The Board rejected the argument of R.G.S. that law clerks practice law and that the mere performance of legal work is the practice of law. In so holding, the Board justifiably relied on and furthered a long standing policy established by this Court and implemented and followed by the Board of Law Examiners.
As a result of this policy many outstanding attorneys, with records as exemplary as the petitioner’s, have been forced to sit for and pass the regular Maryland Bar Examination before being admitted to practice law in this State. A review of a sample of these cases will be illustrative of the point.
In 1968, C.L.N., a member of the Wisconsin Bar, petitioned the Board for admission to the Maryland Bar under Rule 14. The Board acknowledged that C.L.N. had been engaged in the practice of law from 1953-1963. During this time, C.L.N. had served as an associate for a law firm, as an Air Force Judge Advocate, and as a legal specialist at the National Labor Relations Board. The Board, however, refused to recognize the duties that C.L.N. performed as a “labor law specialist” with the National Association of Manufacturers as constituting the practice of law. Although C.L.N. had conducted legal research and produced many articles and publications on a broad variety of legal subjects, the Board found that he was not representing a specific client. The Board also found that the research and brief writing which C.L.N. had performed for an attorney in private practice was “service which could have been performed by a law clerk or law student—not necessarily a member of the Bar.” This Court accepted the Board’s findings and denied C.L.N.’s petition.
In 1972, F.S.H. petitioned the Board for admission to the Maryland Bar pursuant to Rule 14. F.S.H., a member of the Virginia and District of Columbia Bars, had practiced law with a prestigious law firm in Washington, D.C., for 23 *645years. However, 2 years and 4 months prior to filing his petition, F.S.H. left the law firm for a business venture. Although F.S.H. was only 4 months short of satisfying the 5 of 7 year requirement, this Court affirmed the Board’s denial of admission.
In 1975, this Court affirmed the Board’s denial of a Rule 14 petition for admission filed by C.P.F. The Board had rejected the argument of C.P.F., a member of the Wisconsin Bar and an employee of the Classified Municipal Employees Association of Baltimore City, that he was regularly engaged in the practice of law by way of his legal research and close working relationship with the legal profession.
Giving the words used in [Rule 14] their ordinary and usual significance, it cannot be said that one who engages in research and works in close proximity with lawyers is a practitioner of the law. We regard the rule as being mandatory and are of the opinion that, in order to meet the requirements of the rule, a petitioner seeking admission as a practitioner of the law for the required period must have been a practitioner in the traditional sense.
Letter of State Board of Law Examiners to the Court of Appeals dated May 12, 1975.
The Court took the opportunity to discuss what is required for one to be engaged in the “practice of law” in In Re Application of Mark W., 308 Md. 1, 491 A.2d 576 (1985). Mark W., a member of the Pennsylvania Bar, was a hearing examiner for the Maryland Department of Employment and Training for the 9 years preceding his petition for admission to the Maryland Bar under Rule 14. In analyzing that situation we found that the “ ‘practice of law’ is a term of art connoting much more than merely working with legally-related matters.” Id. at 19, 491 A.2d at 585. This Court affirmed the Board’s denial of Mark W.’s petition because his activities were in a very narrow, specialized field and he did not represent clients, either public or private. Id. We did, however, note that Mark W. would be permitted to practice law in this State if he were to receive a passing grade on the regular Maryland Bar Examination. See also *646In re Petition of Olsen, 112 R.I. 673, 314 A.2d 140 (1974) (Supreme Court of Rhode Island refused to consider time petitioner spent with Pennsylvania law firm before he was admitted to Pennsylvania Bar in computing a 5 of 10 year requirement for admission of out-of-state attorneys).
If this Court’s prior decisions relating to admissions under Rule 14 are to have any precedential value, the petitioner’s application should be denied. The petitioner has hot directly represented any clients. His activities, although specialized, could be performed by a law clerk or paralegal; they do not amount to the “practice of law” giving those words their ordinary and natural significance.
The majority, however, reverses the Board’s recommendation and holds that, under the circumstances presented, R.G.S. was engaged in the practice of law while working with the Annapolis firm. Thus, R.G.S. was qualified to sit for the attorney examination. The majority contends that this ad hoe determination furthers the purpose of Rule 14. What the majority fails to recognize is that it has reversed this Court’s approach to Rule 14, and has done so without subjecting the issue to rigorous debate.
In my view before rejecting an established policy the matter should, at a minimum, be subjected to input and discussion by the organized bar of this State. In this manner, the Board, which has undoubtedly acquired expertise in this area, would be able to comment on the ramifications and potential pitfalls which particular readings of Rule 14 would foster. Furthermore, this approach would allow the State Bar to fully participate in a discussion of the pros and cons relating to “of counsel” practice. This is the least that should be done before changing the procedure.
Of course, the most appropriate action for the Court to take is to amend the Rule.2 Amending the Rule would *647enable the Court, the Board, the Bar, and the Rules Committee to arrive at a more considered judgment than that offered by the majority decision. Furthermore, amendment of the Rule provides a means by which the Court can avoid the strained and inconsistent construction of the language of Rule 14 which is part and parcel of the majority’s decision. Amendment of the Rule also allows the Court to avoid the appearance of selective treatment which is manifested in this case by virtue of the Court’s sudden change in philosophy as to Rule 14.
As I see it, the majority appears too concerned with the eligibility of this petitioner rather than assuring full consideration by the legal community of the impact of a change in the Rule. It seems to me that the citizens of this State are more adequately protected if the attorneys admitted to practice under Rule 14 are required to have been engaged in the practice of law in the traditional sense prior to their admission. This interpretation is also consistent with the plain and ordinary meaning of the words “practitioner of law” as developed in our cases. Because I find no need to rush a change in Rule 14 and because I find the method of change proposed by the majority unacceptable, I respectfully dissent.
Chief Judge MURPHY and Judge McAULIFFE have authorized me to state that they concur with the views expressed herein.

. Maryland Code (1957, 1987 Repl.Vol.), Art. 10, § 7(a) provides:
After becoming an actual resident of the State of Maryland, a member of the bar of any state, district or territory of the United States, who, for five of the preceding seven years, has been engaged as a practitioner, judge or teacher of law, shall be admitted to the bar of this State after having satisfactorily passed an examination given by the State Board of Law Examiners. In addition, as a prerequisite to admission to the bar, each applicant shall provide proof of good moral character. The Court of Appeals may make rules for the content and administration of the examination, the determination of the applicants' character and any other rules necessary to provide for the admission to the bar of persons making application for admission on the basis of this subsection.

. Although Rule 14 has been amended numerous times over the years, reference is limited to the changes which are pertinent to this discussion. An amendment in 1962 specified that a petitioner must have been engaged in the practice of law for five years within the seven *647years preceding the filing of the petition for admission. A “practitioner of law” was defined as a person who maintained an office and engaged in a general practice of law or was so employed by a general practitioner. An amendment in 1965 expanded the definition of a "practitioner of law” to include government employees and employees of private companies who had experience in the general practice of law, including trial experience. The Rule was further amended in 1966 to provide that a "practitioner of law” included anyone who engaged in the practice of law as the principal means of earning his livelihood.