CHAPTER 379

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 54-60, 54-61, 54-62, as amended, 54-62.1
and 54-66 of the Code of Virginia, relating to admission to the Bar,
and to repeal § 54-61.1, as amended, of the Code of Virginia, relating
to character certificates required of certain applicants. 8353

Approved March 30, 1960

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 54-60, 54-61, 54-62, as amended, 54-62.1 and 54-66 of the
Code of Virginia, be amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 54-60. No one shall take any examination under this article until
he shall file with the Board a certificate from the circuit court of the county,
or the corporation court of the city, wherein he resides, or the judge of
either of such courts, that he is a person of honest demeanor, of good moral
character, is over the age of twenty-one years, and has resided in this
State the preceding six months; or if he is * a regularly enrolled student
in one of the approved law schools of this State *, a certificate signed by
the dean and any * professor of the law school that he is a person of
honest demeanor, of good moral character, is over the age of twenty-one
years, and * that he has successfully completed two years of study in such
school and ts then regularly engaged in his third year of study at the school,
and a statement of intention, signed by the applicant, that he will complete
said third year of study at such school.

No such certificate shall be made by any such court or judge, unless
and until the name of the person applying therefor has been submitted by
the court, or judge, to three attorneys, practicing before such court, who
shall make a thorough investigation of the moral character and fitness of
the applicant and make a report of their findings to the court, or judge,
and the certificate shall show compliance with the above requirements; but
such report shall not be binding on the court or judge.

In any case in which an applicant for a certificate under this section
is refused the same by the judge of any court or professor from whom
such certificate is sought, the court or judge thereof or professor, as the
case may be, shall notify the secretary of the Board.

§ 54-61. Any person who is over the age of nineteen and under twenty-
one years of age may take any examination under this article upon filing
with the Board a certificate from the circuit court of the county, or the
corporation court of the city, in which he resides, or the judge of either of
such courts, that he is a person of honest demeanor, of good moral charac-
ter, that he is over the age of nineteen years, that he has studied law for
the preceding four years in the office of a practicing attorney in this State
pursuant to the rules specified by the Board and that he will attain the age
of twenty-one years on the ........ Gay of ..........cc008 (giving the date). No
such certificates shall be made by any such court, or judge, unless and until
the name of the person applying therefor has been submitted by the court,
or judge, to three attorneys, practicing before such court, who shall make
a thorough investigation of the moral character and fitness of the applicant
and make a report of their findings to the court, and the certificate shall
show compliance with the above requirement; but such report shall not be
binding on the court or judge.
If such person is * a regularly enrolled student in one of the approved
law schools of this State *, in lieu of the abovementioned certificate of a
court, or judge, he may file with the Board a certificate of the dean and
any * professor in the school, that he is a person of honest demeanor, of
good moral character, that he is over the age of nineteen years, that *
he has successfully completed two years of study in such school and is then
regularly engaged in his third year of study at the school, a statement
of intention, that he will complete the third year of study in such school,
and that he will attain the age of twenty-one years on the........ day of
sevecececcccscccsccesess (giving the date). ;

In any case in which an applicant for a certificate under this section
is refused the same by the judge of any court or professor from whom
such certificate is sought, the court or judge thereof or professor, as the
case may be, shall notify the secretary of the Board.

No license to an applicant under this section shall be issued until he
attains the age of twenty-one years.

§ 54-62. In addition to the certificate required by §§ 54-60 and 54-61,
every applicant before taking any examination under this article shall
furnish to the Board satisfactory evidence that such applicant has:

(1) Received a degree or certificate from a law school approved by
the American Bar Association, or the Board, or,

(2) * (4) Completed at least a three-year academic course of an ac-
credited college and * (ii) studied law for at least three years, in the office
of an attorney practicing in this State, whose full time is devoted to the
practice of law, or studied law for at least three years partly in a law
school approved by the American Bar Association or the Board and part-
ly in said practicing attorney’s office. The attorney in whose office the
applicant intends to study shall be approved by the Board which shall
prescribe reasonable conditions as to such course of study.

§ 54-62.1. Notwithstanding the provisions of * subparagraph (1) of
§ 54-62 any person who has * successfully completed two years of study
in any such approved law school and who, at the time of filing his appli-
cation to take the examination, is regularly engaged in his third year of
study at such school and has filed with the Board a statement of his inten-
tion to complete the third year of study at such school, may take the ex-
amination provided for under this article, but shall not be issued any
license to practice law in this State until he shall have completed the re-
quirements of § 54-62.

§ 54-66. Any applicant failing to pass an examination * given after
July fifteen, nineteen hundred sixty, may, after such failure, be reexam-
ined not exceeding four additional times upon showing to the Board that
he has diligently pursued the study of law since the former examination
and that he remains otherwise qualified under the provisions of this arti-
cle. Provided, however, that the Board may allow an applicant, who has
taken the examination five times, to take additional examinations when, in
the discretion of the Board, such applicant has shown mitigating circum-
stances which constitute good and sufficient cause for the applicant’s
failure to pass the prior examination.

2. That § 54-61.1, as amended, of the Code of Virginia is repealed.
3. This act shall be in force on and after January one, nineteen hundred
sixty-one.