Section 6 - Equivalency Determinations(A)Application. An applicant who has graduated from a law school that is not located in the United States or its territories must submit an application to the Committee for an equivalency determination. Such application shall be in addition to all other applications required by this Rule. Equivalency applicants who wish to sit for the July bar examination shall submit an equivalency application to the Committee no later than December 1 of the calendar year preceding the July bar examination. Applicants who wish to sit for the February bar examination shall submit an equivalency application no later than August 1 of the calendar year preceding the February bar examination. [Effective November 15, 2000] (B) In addition, the applicant shall bear the burden of proving that the applicant has successfully completed a minimum of 14 semester hours of credit, in professional law subjects in any of the following categories from an American law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association: Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Corporations or Business Organizations, Evidence, Federal Jurisdiction, Federal Civil Procedure, Intellectual Property, Legal Research and Writing, Louisiana Civil Procedure, Louisiana Family Law, Louisiana Obligations Law, Louisiana Successions, Donations and Trusts, Professional Responsibility, Property, Sale and Lease, Security Rights, Taxation, and Torts, provided that no more than 4 credit hours in any one subject shall be counted toward this requirement. Amended effective January 8, 2009(C) Equivalency Determination Panel. Subsequent to receiving recommendations from the dean or chancellor of each ABA accredited law school in this state, the Court shall appoint one faculty member from each law school to serve on the Equivalency Determination Panel. Initial appointments shall be for one, two, three, or four year terms of office. Thereafter, terms of office for panel members shall be for four years. No panel member shall serve more than two consecutive terms. The Committee shall also appoint one of its own members to the panel. The Committee members shall chair the work of the panel, but shall only vote on equivalency applications in the event of a tie vote among the other equivalency determination panel members as to whether or not the applicant has met the burden of proof.
The panel shall consider all requests for equivalency determinations and make recommendations to the Committee as to whether an applicant has met the burden of proof. The panel may require such information from an applicant as it desires to consider each application.
The panel shall not be required to hold hearings or personally interview any equivalency applicant. However, the panel may in its discretion require an applicant to make a personal appearance in order for the panel to analyze the equivalency application.
The panel shall consider and act upon all pending equivalency applications for the July bar examination no later than January 15. The panel shall consider and act upon all pending equivalency applications for the February bar examination no later than October 15. The Committee shall notify each applicant, in writing, of the recommendation of the panel and the Committee's decision thereon. [Effective November 15, 2000]
(D) deleted effective November 19, 2002Amended effective 1/22/2018.