Limited appearances by law students, if the person on whose behalf he or she is appearing has
consented to that appearance in writing and the supervising lawyer has also approved the
appearance in writing, are allowed in any civil matter in which a fee is not provided for or could
not reasonably be anticipated.
The written consent and approval referred to above must be filed in the record of the case and
must be brought to the attention of the judge.
The supervising lawyer or the prosecuting attorney must personally be present throughout the
proceedings and is responsible for the manner in which they are conducted.
A. Prerequisites to Law Student Appearances
To make an appearance pursuant to this rule, the law student must:
(1) Be duly enrolled in a law school in this state approved by the American Bar Association;
(2) Have completed four (4) full-time semesters of legal studies or the equivalent if the
school is on some basis other than a semester basis;
(3) Be certified by the dean of his or her law school as being of good moral character,
competent legal ability, and adequately trained to perform as a legal intern;
(4) Be introduced to the court by an attorney admitted to practice in this court;
(5) Neither ask for nor receive remuneration of any kind for services;
(6) Take the following oath:
“I, ____, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and
of the State of Louisiana and have read and am familiar with the Code of Professional
Responsibility of the Louisiana State Bar Association, and I understand that I am bound
by the precepts therein contained as fully as if I were admitted to the practice of law in
Louisiana; and that I further accept the privileges granted to me as well as the
responsibilities which will devolve upon me, so that I may be more useful through my
clinical education in the service of justice.”
(B) Certification of Students
The certification of a student by the law school dean:
(1) Must be filed with the clerk and, unless sooner withdrawn, remain in effect for twelve
(12) months after it is filed, or until the announcement of the results of the first bar
examination following the student’s graduation, whichever comes earlier. For any student
who passes that examination or who is admitted to the bar without taking an examination,
the certification continues in effect until the date he or she is admitted to the bar;
(2) May be withdrawn by the dean at any time by mailing a notice to that effect to the clerk.
The notice need not state the cause for withdrawal;
(3) May be terminated by this court at any time without notice or hearing and without any
showing of cause. Notice of the termination may be filed with the clerk.
(C) Supervision of Students
The member of the bar under whose supervision an eligible law student works must:
(1) Be admitted to practice before this court and approved by the dean of the law school in
which the law student is enrolled for service as a supervising lawyer for this program;
(2) Assume personal professional responsibility and liability for the student’s guidance in
any work undertaken and for supervising the quality of the student’s work;
(3) Assist the student in his or her preparation.
[Amended February 1, 2011]
LOCAL CIVIL RULE 83 - RULES BY
DISTRICT COURTS; JUDGES’ DIRECTIVES
LOCAL CIVIL RULE 83.3 - BUILDING SECURITY
