Hey all, I'm in a kind of unnerving situation.
I currently work for the federal government outside of the only state in which I am licensed to practice. Most states don't require federal attorneys to be licensed to work there; that is not my problem. My problem is that I recently applied and obtained a waiver from my state's bar association from having to complete continuing education requirements. As a result, my current certificate of good standing states that while I am an "active member in good standing," I am currently "not eligible to practice law" in the state based on the exemption. This is all fine and predictable, but a few months before I obtained the waiver, I applied to a federal job in a different state. I forgot I had even applied because the position is so competitive I assumed I would never hear back. To my surprise, I got a call for an interview. However, the job requires that I be "admitted to practice in good standing" before the highest court of a state. On one hand, my certificate says I am in good standing and that I was admitted. On the other hand, it does not say that I am eligible to practice. Am I in clear waters here? Sorry if the answer sounds obvious, but I really don't want to mess this up because this position is a diamond in the rough. I also don't want to look like an utter moron in the interview or make it seem like I was misleading. Fortunately, my state allows me to easily withdraw my exemption and restore my previous status, but my interview is soon and I would have to be quick. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
CLE Exemptions and "Admitted to Practice in Good Standing" Forum
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Re: CLE Exemptions and "Admitted to Practice in Good Standing"
I'm not a current federal attorney so take this with a grain of salt. I am currently in a clerkship and actively looking for federal jobs. I had an interview with one federal agency honors program (non-DOJ) but they are very slow in getting back for specific positions. I am also waiting to hear back from JAG which, based on what my interviewer said, I am very likely to get picked up.
I am still actively looking at federal positions and from what I have seen the biggest hurdle for a new attorney, or for someone in your particular situation, is the online questionnaire almost every agency makes you fill out stating your experience and that you are licensed to practice law. A negative answer here automatically disqualifies you.
Since you already have an interview, you are through the part that is automatically disqualifying. From my understanding, talking to federal attorneys, once you get to the interview stage it is pretty much all up to discretion of the agency. If they bring it up, just tell them how your state works. I doubt they will care. If they do, I imagine it would be easy to change your status and knock out some CLEs over a weekend, and you can express this to the interviewer if there is an issue.
I am still actively looking at federal positions and from what I have seen the biggest hurdle for a new attorney, or for someone in your particular situation, is the online questionnaire almost every agency makes you fill out stating your experience and that you are licensed to practice law. A negative answer here automatically disqualifies you.
Since you already have an interview, you are through the part that is automatically disqualifying. From my understanding, talking to federal attorneys, once you get to the interview stage it is pretty much all up to discretion of the agency. If they bring it up, just tell them how your state works. I doubt they will care. If they do, I imagine it would be easy to change your status and knock out some CLEs over a weekend, and you can express this to the interviewer if there is an issue.
