By Trent Baggett, Chair, Legal Internship Committee

February 2018 Rule 5.1(d) and Interpretation 98-3 were amended to show that a Licensed Legal Intern only needed to be participating in an approved law school internship instead of enrolled in an approved law school internship to meet eligibility requirements. 

An intern questioned an inconsistency found in Rule 6.1(e) which stated that enrollment in an approved internship was required to avoid termination.  On Sept. 20, 2023, the Legal Internship Committee voted to amend Rule 6.1(e) and Interpretation 2022-1 to bring the rules into agreement.  The OBA Board of Governors approved the change on Nov. 1, 2023.  The Oklahoma Supreme Court issued an order on Dec. 11, 2023, approving the amendments.   

RULE 6  Term of Limited License

  Rule 6.1               Termination of the Limited License

       The limited license shall terminate automatically when:

(e)  For any reason a Licensed Legal Intern is no longer enrolled participating in an approved law school internship program without having completed the requirements for graduation.  A Licensed Legal Intern need not be enrolled in such a course for summer sessions or vacation periods.

Interpretation

2022-1  For the purposes of Rules 2.1(a), 2.1(e), 4.2, and 5.1(d)(1), and 6.1(e) while each law school may impose more stringent requirements than these rules, the only “enrollment” required for certification of law student participation in an approved law school internship program is academic enrollment in a law school program leading to a Juris Doctor Degree.