Vt. Bar Admission Rule 24

(a) Supervision Required. Appearance of a Legal Intern as legal counsel is conditioned upon

the Legal Intern being supervised by an attorney.

(b) Qualification. To serve as a supervising attorney of a Legal Intern, the attorney must be

admitted to the Vermont Bar for not less than 3 years before the commencement of supervision.

For good cause (for example, certain educational and/or prior legal experience; admission to the

bar of another jurisdiction), the Board may modify or waive the requirement that the supervising

attorney have been admitted to the Vermont Bar for at least 3 years.

(c) Duties of Supervision. A qualified supervising attorney must:

(1) Assume personal professional responsibility for the Legal Intern’s work;

(2) Assist the Legal Intern as needed;

(3) Introduce the Legal Intern to the subject court at the Legal Intern’s first appearance

before that court;

(4) Appear with the Legal Intern at all court appearances involving a contested matter;

and

(5) Appear with the Legal Intern at all other court appearances unless:

(A) the supervising attorney’s appearance is expressly waived by the court; and

(B) the client’s written consent includes consent to appearance by the Legal Intern

without the presence of the supervising attorney.

(d) Authorized Activities. A Legal Intern is authorized to:

(1) prepare and sign, with the co-signature of the supervising attorney, petitions,

complaints, answers, motions, briefs, and other documents in connection with the pending

matter;

(2) with supervision, conduct any nonevidentiary trial, argument, or hearing in the

pending matter, before the subject court; and

(3) with supervision, conduct any evidentiary trial or hearing in the pending matter

before the court if the Legal Intern has satisfactorily completed either a course in evidence or,

if a LOS registrant, a systematic study of evidence certified by the supervising attorney.

(e) Legal Fees for Legal Intern’s Services; Compensation to Legal Intern. The supervising

attorney, the attorney’s law firm, or other employer may charge the client a legal fee, which

reflects the Legal Intern’s services, and may compensate the Legal Intern. This rule does not

authorize a fee-splitting agreement between the supervising attorney and the Legal Intern or the

direct employment of a Legal Intern by a client.

Board’s Notes—2026 Amendment

Rule 24 is amended in conjunction with the adoption of § 19 of

Administrative Order 41, which creates a provisional licensure for

applicants for admission who are admitted in another U.S.

jurisdiction. The Legal Intern Rules are revised to pertain only to law

students, Law Office Study participants, and applicants for

admission who are not admitted in another U.S. jurisdiction. In

contrast to attorneys who are provisionally licensed, Legal Interns

are subject to supervision requirements and limitations on their

authorized practice. Rule 24 is amended throughout to use the term

“Legal Intern” for consistency. Former Rule 24(e), which addressed

applicants admitted in other states is deleted. Rule 24(f) is

relabeled Rule 24€.

Board’s Notes – 2019 Amendments

Under this amendment to Rule 24, a legal intern who is

admitted in another U.S. jurisdiction, while still subject to the

general supervision requirements of the Rule, may now appear in

court without the presence of the supervising attorney and may

sign documents in connection with the pending matter without the

co-signature of the supervising attorney. This amendment

essentially gives such legal interns the same authority as that given

to nonresident attorneys admitted pro hac vice pursuant to

Administrative Order No. 41, but without the need to submit a pro

hac vice application and fee for each case in which the legal intern

wishes to appear. In doing so, the amendment aims to reduce

administrative, staffing, and financial obstacles that may otherwise

prevent qualified legal interns, especially those working for state

agencies and Vermont Legal Aid, from appearing as legal counsel.

Board’s Notes – 2016 Amendments

An Amendment to Rule 24(d), effective December 5, 2016,

requires that legal interns complete a course in evidence before

handling an evidentiary proceeding.

This rule is derived from the prior rule § 13.

The rules governing appearance in court by legal interns are

reorganized for clarity but largely unchanged in substance. Rule 24

includes a new provision that allows the Board to waive or modify,

for good cause, the requirement that a supervising attorney be

admitted to the practice of law in Vermont for three years. The rule

suggests that good cause may include certain educational and/or

prior legal experience and admission to the bar of another

jurisdiction.

PART VII. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS