North Carolina Administrative Code

27 NCAC 01F .0113 DENIAL; RE-APPLICATION No new application or petition for reconsideration of a previous application from an applicant who has been denied a certificate of registration as a foreign legal consultant shall be considered by the Bar within a period of three years ne…

Section .0100 The plan for certification of paralegals 27 NCAC 01G .0101 Purpose The purpose of this plan for certification of paralegals (plan) is to assist in the delivery of legal services to the public by identifying individuals who are qualified by education and training and…

27 NCAC 01G .0102 Jurisdiction: Authority The Council of the North Carolina State Bar (the council) with the approval of the Supreme Court of North Carolina hereby establishes the Board of Paralegal Certification (board), which board shall have jurisdiction over the certification…

27 NCAC 01G .0103 Operational Responsibility The responsibility for operating the paralegal certification program rests with the board, subject to the statutes governing the practice of law, the authority of the council and the rules of governance of the board. History Note: Auth…

27 NCAC 01G .0104 Size and Composition of Board The board shall have nine members, five of whom must be lawyers in good standing and authorized to practice law in the state of North Carolina. One of the members who is a lawyer shall be a program director at a qualified paralegal …

27 NCAC 01G .0105 Appointment of Members; When; Removal (a) Appointment. The council shall appoint the members of the board, provided, however, after the appointment of the initial members of the board, each paralegal member appointed for an initial term shall be selected by the …

27 NCAC 01G .0106 Term of Office Subject to Rule .0107 of this Subchapter, each member of the board shall serve for a term of three years beginning as of the first day of the month following the date on which the council appoints the member. History Note: Authority G.S. 84-23; Ef…

27 NCAC 01G .0107 Staggered Terms The members of the board shall be appointed to staggered terms such that three members are appointed in each year. Of the initial board, three members (one lawyer and two paralegals) shall be appointed to terms of one year; three members (two law…

27 NCAC 01G .0108 Succession Each member of the board shall be entitled to serve for one full three-year term and to succeed himself or herself for one additional three-year term. Each certified paralegal member shall be eligible for reappointment by the council at the end of his…

27 NCAC 01G .0109 Appointment of Chairperson The council shall appoint the chairperson of the board from among the members of the board. The term of the chairperson shall be one year. The chairperson may be reappointed thereafter during his or her tenure on the board. The chairpe…

27 NCAC 01G .0110 Appointment of Vice-Chairperson The council shall appoint the vice-chairperson of the board from among the members of the board. The term of the vice-chairperson shall be one year. The vice-chairperson may be reappointed thereafter during his or her tenure on th…

27 NCAC 01G .0111 Source of Funds Funding for the program carried out by the board shall come from such application fees, examination fees, annual fees or recertification fees as the board, with the approval of the council, may establish. History Note: Authority G.S. 84-23; Eff. …

27 NCAC 01G .0112 Fiscal Responsibility All funds of the board shall be considered funds of the North Carolina State Bar and shall be administered and disbursed accordingly. (1) Maintenance of Accounts: Audit - The North Carolina State Bar shall maintain a separate account for fu…

27 NCAC 01G .0113 Meetings The board by resolution may set regular meeting dates and places. Special meetings of the board may be called at any time upon notice given by the chairperson. Notice of meeting shall be given at least one day prior to the meeting by mail, electronic ma…

27 NCAC 01G .0114 Annual Report The board shall prepare a report of its activities for the preceding year and shall present the same at the annual meeting of the council. History Note: Authority G.S. 84-23; Eff. October 6, 2004.

27 NCAC 01G .0115 Powers and Duties of the Board Subject to the general jurisdiction of the council and the North Carolina Supreme Court, the board shall have jurisdiction of all matters pertaining to certification of paralegals and shall have the power and duty (1) to administer…

27 NCAC 01G .0116 Retained Jurisdiction of the Council The council retains jurisdiction with respect to the following matters: (1) amending this plan; (2) hearing appeals taken from actions of the board; (3) establishing or approving fees to be charged in connection with the plan…

27 NCAC 01G .0117 Conferred and Limitations Imposed The board in the implementation of this plan shall not alter the following privileges and responsibilities of lawyers and their non-lawyer assistants. (1) No rule shall be adopted which shall in any way limit the right of a lawy…

27 NCAC 01G .0118 Certification Committee (a) The board shall establish a separate certification committee. The certification committee shall be composed of seven members appointed by the board. At least two members of the committee shall be lawyers, licensed and currently in goo…

27 NCAC 01g .0119 Standards for Certification of Paralegals (a) To qualify for certification as a paralegal, an applicant must pay any required fee, and comply with the following standards: (1) Education. The applicant must have earned one of the following: (A) an associate's, ba…

27 NCAC 01G .0120 Standards for Continued Certification of Paralegals (a) The period of certification as a paralegal shall be one year. During such period the board may require evidence from the paralegal of his or her continued qualification for certification as a paralegal, and…

27 NCAC 01G .0121 Lapse, Suspension or Revocation of Certification (a) The board may suspend or revoke its certification of a paralegal, after hearing before the board on appropriate notice, upon a finding that (1) the certification was made contrary to the rules and regulations …

27 NCAC 01G .0122 Right to Review and Appeal to Council (a) Lapsed Certification. An individual whose certification has lapsed pursuant to Rule .0120(c) of this subchapter for failure to complete all of the requirements for renewal within the prescribed time limit shall have the …

27 NCAC 01G .0123 INACTIVE STATUS UPON DEMONSTRATION OF HARDSHIP (a) Inactive Status. The board shall transfer a certified paralegal to inactive status upon receipt of a petition, on a form approved by the board, demonstrating hardship as defined in Paragraph (b) of this Rule and…

section .0200 – rules governing continuing paralegal education 27 NCAC 01G .0201 Continuing Paralegal Education (CPE) (a) Each active certified paralegal subject to these rules shall complete 6 hours of approved continuing education during each year of certification. (b) Of the 6…

27 NCAC 01G .0202 Accreditation Standards The Board of Paralegal Certification shall approve continuing education activities in compliance with the following standards and provisions. (a) An approved activity shall have significant intellectual or practical content and the primar…

27 NCAC 01G .0203 General Course Approval (a) Approval – Continuing education activities, not otherwise approved or accredited by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Continuing Legal Education, may be approved upon the written application of a sponsor, or of a certified paraleg…

27 NCAC 01G .0204 Fees Accredited Program Fee - Sponsors seeking accreditation for a particular program (whether or not the sponsor itself is accredited by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Continuing Legal Education), that has not already been approved or accredited by the N…

27 NCAC 01G .0205 Computation of Hours of Instruction (a) Hours of continuing paralegal education (CPE) will be computed by adding the number of minutes of actual instruction, dividing by 60 and rounding the results to the nearest one-tenth of an hour. (b) Only actual instruction…

subchapter 01h – REGISTRATION OF ATTORNEYS APPEARING PRO HAC VICE Section .0100 - Registration Procedure 27 NCAC 01H .0101 Registration (a) Whenever an out-of-state attorney (the admittee) is admitted to practice pro hac vice pursuant to G.S. 84-4.1, it shall be the responsibilit…

TITLE 27 – THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BAR CHAPTER 03 – RULES GOVERNING ADMISSION TO THE PRACTICE OF LAW IN the STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA SECTION .0100 – ORGANIZATION 27 ncac 03 .0101 Definitions For purposes of this Chapter, the following shall apply: (1) "Chapter" or "Rules" refers …

27 ncac 03 .0102 Website The Board shall maintain a public website that shall publish the location of its offices, its mailing address, office hours, telephone number, fax number, e-mail address, and such other information as the Board may direct. History Note: Authority G.S. 84-…

27 NCAC 03 .0103 Purpose The Board was created for the purpose of examining applicants and providing rules and regulations for admission to the bar, including the issuance of licenses therefor. History Note: Authority G.S. 84-21; 84-24; Eff. February 1, 2025.

27 NCAC 03 .0104 Membership The Board consists of 11 members of the North Carolina State Bar elected by the council of the North Carolina State Bar. One member of the Board is elected by the Board to serve as its Chair for such period as the Board may determine. The Board also em…

SECTION .0200 - GENERAL PROVISIONS 27 NCAC 03 .0201 Compliance No person shall be admitted to the practice of law in North Carolina unless that person has complied with these Rules. History Note: Authority G.S. 84-21; 84-24; Eff. February 1, 2025.

27 NCAC 03 .0202 Applicants For purposes of this Chapter, applicants are classified as "general applicants," "comity applicants, "military spouse comity applicants," or "transfer applicants." To be classified as a "general applicant" and certified as such for admission to practic…

27 NCAC 03 .0203 List As soon as possible after each late-filing deadline for general applications, the Executive Director shall prepare a list of general applicants for the ensuing examination, and all comity, military spouse comity, and transfer applicants whose applications ar…

27 NCAC 03 .0204 Hearings Every applicant may be required to appear before the Board to be examined about any matters pertaining to the applicant's moral character and general fitness, educational background, or any other matters set out in Section .0500 of this Chapter. History …

27 NCAC 03 .0205 Nonpayment of Fees No application will be deemed to have been filed until the applicant has paid the fees required by these rules. If the check payable for the application fee is not honored upon presentment for any reason other than error of the bank, the applic…

SECTION .0300 – reserved for future codification

SECTION .0300 – EFFECTIVE DATE 27 NCAC 03 .0301 EFFECTIVE DATE These Revised Rules shall apply to all applications for admission to practice law in North Carolina submitted on or after June 30, 2018. History Note: Authority G.S. 84-21; 84-24; Eff. February 1, 2025.

SECTION .0400 - APPLICATIONS OF GENERAL APPLICANTS 27 NCAC 03 .0401 How to Apply Applications for admission must be made on forms supplied by the Board and must be complete in every detail. Every supporting document required by the application form must be submitted with each app…

27 NCAC 03 .0402 Application Form (a) The Application for Admission to Take the North Carolina Bar Examination requires an applicant to supply full and complete information relating to the applicant's background, including family history, past and current residences, education, m…

27 NCAC 03 .0403 Filing Deadlines (a) Applications shall be filed with the Executive Director at the offices of the Board on or before the first Tuesday in January immediately preceding the date of the July written bar examination and on or before the first Tuesday in October imm…

27 ncac 03 .0404 Fees for General Applicants (a) The application specified in .0402(a) shall be accompanied by a fee of eight hundred and fifty dollars ($850.00), if the applicant is not, and has not been, a licensed attorney in any other jurisdiction, or by a fee of one thousand…

27 ncac 03 .0405 Refund of Fees Except as herein provided, no part of the fee required by Rule .0404(a) or (b) of this Chapter shall be refunded to the applicant unless the applicant shall file with the Executive Director a written request to withdraw as an applicant, not later t…

SECTION .0500 - REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS 27 ncac 03 .0501 Requirements for General Applicants (effective Until November 14, 2027) As a prerequisite to being licensed by the Board to practice law in the State of North Carolina, a general applicant shall: (1) possess the qualifi…

27 ncac 03 .0502 Requirements for Comity Applicants The Board in its discretion shall determine whether an attorney duly licensed to practice law in any state, or territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, may be licensed to practice law in the State of North Ca…

27 ncac 03 .0503 Requirements for RELOCATED SERVICEMEMBER AND Spouse OF RELOCATED SERVICEMEMBER Applicants A servicemember or spouse of a servicemember who has a license to practice law in a State, or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia, and relocates resid…

27 ncac 03 .0504 Requirements for Transfer Applicants (Effective Until April 30, 2028) As a prerequisite to being licensed by the Board to practice law in the State of North Carolina, a transfer applicant shall: (1) possess the qualifications of character and general fitness requ…