SF 2171 (LSB 5329XS (2) 91)

SENATE FILE 2171

BY  SINCLAIR

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to qualifications for admission to practice law.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 602.10102, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   602.10102  Qualifications for admission.
   1.  Every applicant for such admission shall be a person of honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, and truthfulness, and one who appreciates and will adhere to a code of conduct for lawyers as adopted by the supreme court. The applicant shall have actually done one of the following:
   a.  Actually and in good faith pursued a regular course of study of the law and shall have graduated from some reputable law school.
   b.  Worked as an employee of the general assembly with a combined ten years of experience in legislative research or analysis or as a member of the general assembly.
   2.  The application form shall not contain a recent photograph of the applicant. An applicant shall not be ineligible for registration because of age, citizenship, sex, race, religion, marital status, or national origin, although the application form may require citizenship information. The board may consider the past record of guilty pleas and convictions of public offenses of an applicant. Character references may be required; however, such references shall not be restricted to lawyers.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to qualifications for admission to practice law.
   Current law requires an applicant for admission to practice law to have studied law and graduated from a reputable law school. The bill provides an alternative, authorizing applicants who have worked as an employee of the general assembly with a combined 10 years of experience in legislative research or analysis or as a member of the general assembly.