***Missouri’s Miscellaneous Rules allow attorneys applying to take the bar exam to practice law in Missouri on a temporary basis.
Rule 8.105 of the Rules Governing the Missouri Bar and the Judiciary allows attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions to obtain a limited license to practice law in Missouri if acting as in-house counsel.
The time spent practicing under an in-house counsel license does not qualify towards the practice duration requirements of Missouri’s Admission on Motion Rules.
Eligibility
Attorneys must:
- Be admitted to the practice of law in another state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.
- Be employed in Missouri as a lawyer exclusively for a corporation (its subsidiaries or affiliates), an association, a business, or a government entity. The employer’s lawful business must consist of activities other than the practice of law or the provision of legal services.
- Have obtained a first professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B) from an ABA approved law school at the time of the lawyer’s graduation.
- Cannot have failed the Missouri bar exam within five years of the application for certification unless the applicant has practiced law in a jurisdiction where admitted for at least five years since the last date the applicant sat for and failed the Missouri bar exam.
Practice
Attorneys may only practice exclusively for an eligible employer. Attorneys may also engage in pro bono work with an organization approved by the Missouri Bar. In all other respects, attorneys receiving an in-house license are deemed attorneys licensed to practice law in Missouri. Attorneys must meet the applicable CLE requirements of Rule 15.
Application
Attorneys are required to complete the registration and Application.
Attorneys will certify that he or she is still employed by the qualifying employer or that the employer is no longer qualified for the license provided in conjunction with the annual enrollment statement required by Rule 6.01.
Termination
The limited license automatically terminates if the attorney’s employment in Missouri is terminated or if the attorney is no longer licensed to practice law in another state or territory of the United States.
The limited license may be reinstated after the attorney’s employment is terminated if another eligible employer immediately employs the lawyer and the attorney notifies the Clerk of the Missouri Supreme Court of the new employer.
Attorneys must immediately notify the Clerk of the Missouri Supreme Court of any change in the attorney’s employment or in the attorney’s licensure status in other states or territories.