Lessons · Law foundations · Keeping a licence in good standing
Keeping it in good standing
A licence is a continuing obligation, not a possession. It requires periodic continuing education, including a portion on ethics and related subjects, fees paid on a cycle, and the record kept current. The obligations run on the board's calendar and non-compliance has its own consequences, separate from anything to do with competence.
Hone is a place to practise a career, one idea a day. This is one of its lessons, written out in full and free to read without an account.
In beta. This lesson was written for Hone and has not yet been checked by an attorney. Practice material, not professional advice. What that means.
What it is for
Lawyers lose the right to practise for administrative reasons far more often than for misconduct. A missed compliance deadline is an unglamorous way to stop being able to work, and it is entirely avoidable with a calendar.
How to think about it
Put the compliance cycle in the same calendar as the practice, the day the licence is issued. Treat the ethics portion as a floor to clear early rather than something to hunt for in the last month, when the available courses are whatever is left.
Worked example
Continuing education over a published cycle.Hours, with a required portion on ethics and related subjects.
Fees on a cycle, separate from education.Two independent ways to fall out of good standing.
Non-compliance has administrative consequences of its own.Nothing to do with the quality of anybody's work.
The record must be kept current.Address and status changes are the learner's duty, not the board's.
Your turn
Why do lawyers most often lose the ability to practise?
Most often it is failure, not misconduct
Solve one, graded on the server
The trap
Assuming an obligation lapses quietly. Compliance cycles are tracked by the board and enforced on their own schedule, whether or not anybody reminds you.