The SPPE Application is now available for SPPE applicants who have a current employer who they currently work for, or who has made them a job offer contingent upon the applicant being accepted into the SPPE program, and the employer has a supervising attorney who will assume that role once the applicant is accepted into the SPPE program.
The employer must have previously submitted an SPPE Employer Application and the supervising attorney must have already submitted an SPPE Supervising Attorney application. While we requested that the employer and supervising attorney submit their applications at least two weeks before the SPPE applicant submits their application, we may complete our review earlier than the anticipated two-week period. In either case, we will notify the employer, supervising attorney and applicant when we are ready to receive their application.
By 3PM pm on May 15, we will send the first set of notices out to prequalified SPPE participants. If an applicant does not receive such notice by 3PM today, they should not fret, this only means that we have not prequalified their employer and/or supervising attorney as of today. We have only achieved prequalification for employers and supervising attorneys who completed their applications and submitted them into the correct SmartSheet that has been open since April 1, 2024. By May 24, 2024, we will try to qualify all employers and supervising attorneys who submitted their applications on or before May 14, 2024.
We will notify the participants as their applications are processed and approved. Each notice includes a link to the registration page for the SPPE application, from which the applicant will register for the SPPE program. This registration process requires the applicant to make numerous representations that they meet the qualifications for the program. Once their registration is accepted, applicants will be given access to the SPPE Application. Once the application is complete and submitted, the applicant will be required to pay the application fee.
Once the fee is collected and their application is received, staff will begin processing the application and conducting a character and fitness investigation. Applicants must cooperate by providing any information requested by staff. Once the application is processed and character and fitness is confirmed, the applicant will receive a Certificate of Eligibility, which confirms the applicant's acceptance into the SPPE program, and if their employment was contingent upon such acceptance, the applicant can begin their employment at that point. The applicant will then notify staff that they have begun their employment.
Once employment begins, staff will notify the PLF that the applicant has been accepted into the program and needs coverage or an exemption. PLF will contact the applicant about coverage. The applicant will complete the required information and make payment for coverage or verify with the PLF that they are exempt from coverage. Once active employment and PLF coverage or exemption is confirmed, the applicant is then fully qualified for the SPPE program and will receive their provisional license.
For applicants who have yet to acquire employment with an employer who has a willing supervising attorney, they should not lose faith in their ability to participate in the program. Employers are starting to actively post job openings for SPPE applicants on various job boards, and employment websites. If these applicants can obtain employment or receive a conditional offer from a qualified employer, then they can have the employer and supervising attorney submit their applications at the below links, and start the process. However, applicants need to allow at least two weeks from the date their employer and supervising attorney submit their applications before they will receive their notice with the link to the registration page.
Link to employer application:
https://www.osbar.org/_docs/admissions/forms/SPPEAppEmployer.pdf
Link to supervising attorney application:
https://www.osbar.org/_docs/admissions/forms/SPPEAppAttorney.pdf
The Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination (SPPE) is a new pathway to becoming a licensed attorney in Oregon in addition to the traditional bar exam.
Approved by the Oregon Supreme Court in November 2023, this new model of exam will allow applicants to work in supervised apprenticeship settings following graduation from law school. They would then submit a portfolio of work to be examined by the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners (BBX) for admission to the OSB. This assessment will be an option for graduates of ABA-accredited law schools beginning in May 2024.
In developing the SPPE, the Board of Bar Examiners examined other jurisdictions that offer multiple licensure pathways. The foremost guiding principle in development has been to ensure that the new examinations protect legal consumers by adequately measuring applicants’ competence to practice law while not placing unnecessary or inequitable barriers to licensure.
Please see SPPE Resources for further information.
Uniform Bar Exam
The OSB will continue to offer the Oregon Bar Exam, which will allow applicants to receive a portable Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) score accepted in other jurisdictions.
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which administers the Uniform Bar Exam in conjunction with the OSB, is in the process creating a “NextGen Bar Exam.” The new exam will also place greater emphasis on practical skills testing to effectively and equitably assess the competence of bar applicants. The Oregon Board of Bar Examiners expects to recommend to the Oregon Supreme Court that Oregon be one of the first jurisdictions to offer the NextGen Bar Exam in July 2026. The NCBE will then transition to the new model over a three-year phase-in period. More information is available at https://nextgenbarexam.ncbex.org.