California has been assessing under what circumstances attorneys licensed to practise law in other states should be permitted to practise in California. The California Supreme Court appointed an advisory taskforce on multi-jurisdictional practice (MJP) in January 2001 to consider various options. The MJP taskforce recommended four incremental changes to address immediate problems in the current system, which will then provide an opportunity to assess what additional changes will be in order in the future.
In its final report, dated 7 January, 2002, the taskforce recommended that two categories of out-of-state lawyers should be allowed to practise law in California through a registration system. The first encompasses in-house counsel who provide out-of-court legal services exclusively for their employers and not to third parties. The second includes public-interest lawyers who provide legal services through a qualified agency to indigent clients on an interim basis, prior to taking the California bar exam and under the supervision of an experienced California attorney.
