State Bar of Wisconsin

Licensure Based Upon Employment & Experience (Grandfather Clause)

In addition to those who qualify to be licensed as paralegals by the criteria set forth above, for a limited time a person may qualify to be a licensed paralegal in Wisconsin if the person meets the following qualifications:

A person is eligible for licensure upon:

1. Proof that the person has a High School diploma or equivalent education at the time of the application; and

2. The person shows proof of employment for no less than 4800 hours as a paralegal at any time during the five (5) years immediately preceding the effective date of SCR_____; and

The past paralegal work of any person seeking licensure as a paralegal under subsection (2) shall be documented by the certification of the attorney or attorneys under whose supervision the work was performed. The form and content of any such certificate shall be prescribed by the licensing agency; and

3. Within one year of the application, the person must complete three (3) ethics credits, as approved by the licensing agency, and provide a certificate of completion to accompany the application; and

4. The person must make application for licensure within three (3) years after the effective date of these rules.

Those persons seeking licensure as a paralegal, who cannot meet the criteria set forth under subsection (2), and upon showing of special circumstances to the licensing agency, may be granted the option of taking a competency test, at the discretion of the licensing agency. The form and content of any such test shall be prescribed by the licensing agency. The criteria, as set forth in subsection (1), subsection (3) and subsection (4), shall not be waived under any circumstances.

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