Supreme Judicial Court Rules  Section 3.1: Clerk's certification (Effective August 1, 2026)

The dean of an accredited law school may apply to the Clerk to certify currently enrolled law students as student practitioners. To obtain this certification, the dean shall file such forms as the Clerk may prescribe, setting forth the following information:

• (a) the student's current year in law school and expected date of graduation;
• (b) the name of the law school clinical program, Commonwealth entity, organization providing civil legal aid or criminal defense to indigent persons, or law firm providing pro bono civil legal aid or criminal defense to indigent persons through which the student will be appearing;
• (c) the beginning date and, if known, the expected end date of the student's enrollment in the clinical program or association with the Commonwealth entity or organization or law firm;
• (d) the name and Board of Bar Overseers registration number of the student's supervising attorney(s); and
• (e) the dean's attestation:
  • (i) to the student's character, legal ability, and training;
  • (ii) that the student has successfully completed the requirements of the first year of law school study at a three-year program or its equivalent;
  • (iii) that the student has successfully completed a course in legal research and writing, and has successfully completed or is enrolled in courses for credit in (a) evidence or trial practice and (b) legal ethics or professional responsibility, or in clinical programs that include instruction in those subjects; and
  • (iv) that the student has affirmed to the dean in writing that the student is familiar with the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct, the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure, the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure, and the provisions of this rule.