NYS Skills Requirement for JD Students

NYS Skills Requirement for JD Students

In 2015, the New York Court of Appeals adopted Rule 520.18, which modified the requirements for NY S Bar admission. A 'Skills Competency and Professional Values' requirement was created, put in effect for all JD students who are planning on sitting for the NYS Bar Exam.

There are five (5) pathways for students to satisfy this requirement in order to qualify for admission to the NYS Bar.

Pathway 1 - Law School Certification

Pathway 1 allows Syracuse University College of Law JD students to meet this requirement via certification from the Office of the Registrar confirming the following:

1. The school’s curriculum incorporates the teaching of skills and professional values required for participation in the legal profession, and
2. That the applicant has acquired sufficient competency in those skills and sufficient familiarity with those values.

Syracuse University College of Law's curriculum requires that all JD students acquire and graduate with the skills and values required for legal practice and qualify for admission to the New York Bar under Pathway 1. Therefore, the faculty are committed to ensuring that the intent of Pathway 1 of the Skills Requirement is met in the following ways:

1. The Syracuse College of Law has determined that graduates are prepared for “basic competence and ethical participation in the legal profession” (22 NYCRR 520.18[a][1][i][a]) Part 520 - Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law
2. Achieve a passing grade in 6 credits of the coursework specified below.

Successful compliance with both requirements (1 and 2 above) will be taken as satisfactory evidence that the JD student has demonstrated compliance with Section 520.18’s Pathway 1 requirement under our plan of curriculum, therefore all Syracuse University JD students may satisfy the NYS Skills Requirement via Pathway 1.

Syracuse Students electing Pathway 1 should reference the NY Board of Law Examiners Admission Information page, and access the "Skills Form Affidavit", select "Pathway 1: Law school certification of competence in skills and professional values" on page 1, and proceed to fill out the Pathway 1 information on page 2.

Pathway 2 - Experiential Learning:

Students who have successfully completed 15 credits of experiential course work designed to foster the development of professional competencies can demonstrate satisfaction of the requirement through Pathway 2, in addition to Pathway 1.

Due to the experiential nature of the curriculum at Syracuse University College of Law, most students will accumulate at least 11 credits of courses tagged as satisfying this requirement. Therefore, most will qualify via Pathway 1 above. However, this pathway allows students to count paid or unpaid “non-credit bearing summer employment supervised by an attorney in good standing in any state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia” for up to six (6) credits toward the required 15. Fifty (50) hours of summer employment constitutes one (1) credit. Applicable employment “credits” are used solely for the purpose of meeting the Skills Requirement and for no other academic purpose. These credits will not appear on your transcript nor count towards your JD graduation requirements. A petition form must be submitted by you and your supervising attorney if you elect to use outside employment to satisfy a portion of this pathway. These forms must be submitted to the Registrar's Office.

To access the petition form, please visit our SharePoint site.

Pathway 3 - Pro Bono Scholars Program:

Those students completing the Pro Bono Scholars Program are eligible for admission to the NYS Bar under Pathway 3.

From nycourts.gov:  520.18 "(3) Pro Bono Scholars Program. An applicant who has successfully completed the Pro 
Bono Scholars Program as prescribed in section 520.17 of this Part shall be deemed to have 
met the skills competency requirement."

NYS Skills Experience for LLM Students

Pathway 4 & 5 - Apprenticeship or Practice in Another Jurisdiction: 

To satisfy this requirement, Syracuse College of Law LLM students must use Pathways 4 or 5 from subsections (a)(4)and (a)(5) of New York State (§520.18 of the Rules of the New York State Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law).

Pathways 4 and 5 allow candidates to establish competence before or after the LLM through legal apprenticeship or legal practice in the US or another jurisdiction. The New York State Court system has provided information online which you can find at the following link (online FAQ).