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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 30, 2018 09:49 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Kristin Hill |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Consideration for attorney spouses of active-duty military members in the Commonwealth |
| Soon I will be introducing legislation urging that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court consider the adoption of rules specifically regarding the admission of individuals to the bar who are attorneys licensed in another jurisdiction, and who are spouses of members of the armed forces of the United States serving on active duty in the Commonwealth. Being an attorney spouse of an active duty military member can and does result in specific hardships and challenges to the spouse during the course their military member’s career. In addition to being subject to frequent moves and separations due to the member’s military commitment, attorney spouses are required to be licensed in each state they practice. Licensing can be time-consuming (up to a year in the application process), costly, and difficult. Some states including Pennsylvania are not fully open by reciprocity to the practice of law to out-of-state applicants already admitted to the bar of another state. Further, many military installations are in states which do not have reciprocity agreements with Pennsylvania. For attorney spouses of military members, finding and keeping employment in the legal profession is a significant challenge caused by the frequency of relocations and lack of portable employment opportunities. According to the Military Spouse JD Network, their membership is comprised of 96% women, 86% of whom report their spouse’s military service negatively affected their legal career. Currently 30 states have adopted military spouse admission rules or policies. A model rule was proposed by the Military Spouse JD Network and adopted by other states’ licensing authorities. This rule allows military spouse attorneys to practice on a temporary basis in the jurisdiction if they are in the state due to their member’s military orders and in good standing in another jurisdiction. In Pennsylvania the rules for admission to the bar are set by the PA Supreme Court and administered by the PA Board of Law Examiners. Please join me in supporting this resolution urging the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to adopt rules for admission to the bar which recognize and address the specific challenges facing attorney spouses of our active duty military members stationed in Pennsylvania. For further information contact Lauren Evans at lmevans@pahousegop.com. |
Introduced as HR1041