Rule 12 Additional CLE and Experiential Requirements for Applicants Qualifying for Admission by Examination

(a) Requirements. An Applicant who qualifies for admission by examination must satisfy the following requirements.

(1) Continuing Legal Education (CLE). The Applicant must attend at least 15 hours of CLE on Vermont practice and procedure in courses approved by the Board of Mandatory Continuing Legal Education and certified by the Board of Bar Examiners as satisfying the requirements of this rule. A minimum of 9 of the 15 CLE hours must be earned by attendance at programs delivered either as Moderated Programming or Non-Moderated Programming with Interactivity as a Key Component, as those terms are defined in the Vermont Rules for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education.

(2) Mentorship. The Applicant must complete a mentorship under the supervision of a judge or attorney practicing in Vermont. The supervising judge or attorney must be admitted to the Vermont Bar for at least 3 years when the mentorship begins. The mentorship must last at least 6 months. To complete the mentorship, the Applicant must:

(A) meet regularly with the supervising judge or attorney, no less than 10 times, to discuss the Applicant’s practice and issues relevant to Vermont practice and procedure; and

(B) engage in at least 40 hours of activities on the mentorship program list compiled by the Board of Mandatory Continuing Legal Education and certified by the Board of Bar Examiners as satisfying the requirements of this Rule, which may include the CLE hours described in Rule 12(a)(1).

(b) Reporting. The Applicant may commence the Rule 12(a) requirements up to one year prior to the date of admission and must certify completion of these requirements within one year after the date of admission, unless time is extended by the Board for good cause shown. In the event that an Applicant fails to timely certify completion, the Applicant’s license status will be changed to inactive (if not already inactive). Before that Applicant’s license status can be changed to active, the Applicant must submit a plan for completing the requirements and have it approved by the Board. If the Applicant asserts that the Applicant has completed some portion of the requirements for the mentorship under Rule 12(a)(2), the Applicant must submit verification to support this assertion certified by the supervising judge or attorney. In its discretion, the Board may approve changing the Applicant’s license status to active pending successful completion of the plan approved by the Board.