Pathways to Supervised Practice Program

You can start your supervised practice experience now. Applications are currently being accepted for supervised practice placement through Legal Aid Center's Pathways to Supervised Practice program. Applications can be submitted online on the Apply to the Program tab.

In tandem with the Pathways to Supervised Practice program, you'll also need to register with the State Bar of Nevada. The state bar imposes its own deadlines for registration and materials submission. Visit the state bar's Supervised Practice Program page to verify all deadlines and requirements.

To complete your supervised practice requirement, you'll need to work at least 40 hours on a pro bono or Legal Aid Center case and agree to remain on the case to completion. You must complete the supervised practice requirement within three years of the date you pass the Lawyering Performance Exam portion of Nevada's Comprehensive Licensing Examination (but, again, be aware of any deadlines imposed by the state bar). 

If you must quickly accept a judicial position or have an urgent obligation, you should work with the Pathways to Supervised Practice program and your supervising attorney to select a case type that is likely to resolve within your timelines. 

You can apply for Legal Aid Center's Pathways to Supervised Practice program online. Just click on the Apply to the Program tab. On the application, you'll indicate whether you wish to be matched with a Legal Aid Center attorney or with a private attorney (one identified either by you or by Legal Aid Center) and your preferred areas of law. Most applicants will be notified whether their application has been approved within two weeks.

Once your application is accepted, you will be paired with a Legal Aid Center attorney or a private attorney. You must then complete the Rule 49.3 process found on the state bar's Limited Practice Application page to obtain your Level 2 certification to practice. Law students who have completed at least 42 semester credit hours, and those who have recently graduated with a J.D., can qualify for Level 2 certification.

Submission of your Rule 49.3 application causes the state bar to email forms to your identified supervisor, which they must complete and return to the state bar to be approved to supervise.  

Once your Rule 49.3 certification is in place and your supervisor has been approved by the bar, you and your supervising attorney will begin work on an assigned pro bono or Legal Aid Center case.

Please note that the State Bar of Nevada is asking applicants to complete the Nevada Comprehensive Licensing Exam Application before they undertake any of the individual exam components. The supervised practice component of the exam includes a self-directed journaling requirement, which you'll register for and submit directly to the state bar. Click to learn more about the journaling requirement.

Many attorneys have volunteered with Legal Aid Center to supervise eligible applicants. It is anticipated that every applicant who applies will be accommodated. However, if the program becomes over-subscribed, preference will be given to students and recent graduates who have completed the Christine Smith Community Service Program or those who were previously a clerk, fellow, or extern with Legal Aid Center.

If you've already identified an attorney who has agreed to supervise you (perhaps a current or summer employer), apply directly to Legal Aid Center's Pathways to Supervised Practice program on the Apply to the Program tab and provide your supervising attorney's name and contact information in your application.

You'll then submit your Rule 49.3 application to the State Bar of Nevada, again providing your supervising attorney's contact information. Your submission of the Rule 49.3 application will prompt the state bar to email your supervisor the forms they must complete and return to be approved to supervise.

Once your Rule 49.3 certification is in place and your supervisor has been approved by the state bar, you and your supervising attorney will be given an eligible pro bono case (or cases). The subject matter and type of case will vary depending on the cases available, but efforts will be made to supply a case of the type requested by you and your supervising attorney. Malpractice coverage for the matter will be provided by Legal Aid Center.

After you're assigned a supervising attorney, you must obtain your Level 2 limited practice certification pursuant to Nevada Rule 49.3. You'll submit your Rule 49.3 Limited Practice Application online to the State Bar of Nevada. In your application, you'll provide your supervisor's contact information. Your submission will cause the state bar to email your supervising attorney the forms they need to complete to become an approved supervisor. Once your Rule 49.3 certification is in place and your supervisor is approved by the bar, you and your supervising attorney will be assigned a pro bono case.

You should meet with your supervising attorney as soon as possible to discuss how to complete your supervised practice hours and tasks, how best to communicate, how to allocate work and manage case assignments and deadlines, and the like. Determining best practices is left to you and your supervising attorney and depends on what works best for you both. But don't overlook this step—establishing expectations and ground rules clearly and early can make the difference between a successful and not-so-successful experience. If your supervising attorney doesn't quickly set a meeting to discuss these details, nudge them to do so.

Remember that your supervising attorney is assuming professional responsibility for you while you are under the attorney's supervision. The supervising attorney will personally read, approve, and sign any pleadings or documents on the case and be present for all hearings. You must make every effort to work seamlessly with your supervising attorney as client and court deadlines are rigid.

Once you are partnered with a Legal Aid Center or private sector attorney and assigned a Legal Aid Center or pro bono case, it is expected that you will work with your supervising attorney to see the case through to its conclusion. You are equally responsible with your supervising attorney for that client and that case and should plan to complete your required supervised practice hours with that attorney.

In order to satisfy the supervised practice requirement of the Nevada Comprehensive Licensing Examination, you and your supervising attorney must interview or counsel a client and complete at least three of the following additional tasks:

• Discuss the "big picture" of the client's needs;
• Prepare a strategic approach to achieve the client's needs by analyzing applicable law and facts;
• Conduct legal research;
• Draft correspondence to the client, adjudicators, or opposing counsel;
• Prepare documents for the client's matter, including those to be filed or submitted on the client's behalf;
• Negotiate, arbitrate, or mediate on behalf of the client;
• Appear in court or before an administrative tribunal or other body.

Your supervising attorney will certify to the State Bar of Nevada that you have completed the requisite tasks and worked at least 40 hours on your pro bono case.

When you become certified under Rule 49.3, you attest that you have read, are familiar with, and will abide by the Model Rules of Professional Conduct of the American Bar Association and the Rules of Professional Conduct of the State of Nevada. You also agree to be subject to all disciplinary processes of the court and the State Bar of Nevada. Any offense that would subject a Nevada-admitted lawyer to suspension or disbarment may, if committed by you, be punished by suspension or forfeiture of your privilege of taking the comprehensive licensing examination components and being licensed to practice law in Nevada.

To satisfy the supervised practice requirement, you must spend at least 40 hours working on a client matter. Given that you will be the attorney of record for that client (along with your supervisor), your intention should be to remain on the case until the case is resolved. Your certification to practice law under Rule 49.3 allows you to continue on any case with your supervisor to its conclusion, no matter how long that might take.

If exigent circumstances prevent you from continuing on the case to its conclusion, you will need to discuss this with your supervising attorney who will remain on the case. You must then appropriately withdraw from the representation, ensuring that the client's rights and interests are not prejudiced by the withdrawal.  

If you must quickly accept a judicial position or have an urgent obligation, you should work with the Pathways to Supervised Practice program and your supervising attorney to select a case type that is likely to resolve within your timelines.

The supervised practice component of the licensing exam requires you to work a minimum of 40 hours of client-related work. A supervising attorney and applicant can accept more than one case if they feel there is a likelihood that the case type can be resolved quickly. Under the Pathways to Supervised Practice program, you and your supervising attorney can also work on an existing Legal Aid Center or pro bono case, in addition to a new case, to ensure that the 40-hour requirement is reached.

You will be expected to satisfactorily perform all tasks related to the case. When you complete your supervised practice program, you will submit a Participant's Certification of Supervised Practice Completion to the State Bar of Nevada, providing your supervisor's email, which will prompt the state bar to send a certification form to your supervisor for completion. If you should fail to adequately interview or counsel the client or perform the additional tasks required, your supervising attorney will advise the State Bar of Nevada that you did not successfully complete the program. If there is a problem between you and your supervising attorney under the Pathways to Supervised Practice program, either party can request assistance from Legal Aid Center to resolve the matter.

Yes! If you're hired as a law clerk, fellow, or extern at Legal Aid Center, you can, with advance permission, accomplish your supervised practice at the same time, assuming you meet the eligibility requirements and successfully register for admission to the State Bar of Nevada. Legal Aid Center is allowed under the governing rules to pay clerks, fellows, and externs completing their supervised practice requirement because clients are not being billed for the work.

No. Every law student who attends the William S. Boyd law school in Las Vegas must perform 20 hours of pro bono service through the Community Service Program. If a student completes additional pro bono hours beyond the 20 required, they can receive pro bono honors (60 hours) or highest pro bono honors (100 hours) at graduation. Pro bono hours are volunteer hours where the student receives no payment or credit. Given that the 40 hours of supervised practice is a requirement for licensing and bar admission, those hours are not considered a true volunteer undertaking and do not count towards fulfillment of the community service requirement. Although the student might be working on a pro bono case with their supervisor, they are not strictly donating their time and effort for the public good. However, given that students are expected to see any matter undertaken during supervised practice through to completion, if the student’s pro bono case requires work in excess of the 40 hours required for supervised practice, any additional hours worked count as pro bono hours towards fulfillment of the community service requirement and honors at graduation, so long as those hours are performed without payment or credit.

If you have questions or would like additional information about Legal Aid Center's Pathways to Supervised Practice program, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• A lawyer employed by a legal aid program in Nevada, or
• A member of the State Bar of Nevada in active practice, who has actively practiced for at least five years, while working on an eligible pro bono case.

Private sector attorneys must register with the State Bar of Nevada to become approved supervisors. When a law student or recent graduate submits their application to the state bar to begin their supervised practice, they will provide the name and contact information of their proposed supervising attorney. The state bar will then email the attorney the application they must complete and return to become an approved supervisor.

The most important thing to remember is that you are teaching and mentoring a law student or recent law graduate on how to be an effective attorney. Take every opportunity to explain how to interact with and counsel clients, analyze their issues, and work to achieve their goals. Offer insight, guidance, and feedback on each of the lawyering tasks performed by the applicant as the case progresses. In other words, on each aspect of the case, provide them with the wisdom you have acquired over your years of practice.

Under Nevada Supreme Court Rule 49.3, a supervising attorney must:

• Personally assume professional responsibility for all work undertaken by the applicant while under the lawyer's supervision;
• Assist and counsel the applicant in the activities permitted under Rule 49.3 and review such activities with the applicant to the extent necessary for the proper training of the applicant and protection of the client;
• Read, approve, and personally sign any pleadings, briefs, or other papers prepared by the applicant before filing;
• Read and approve any documents prepared by the applicant for execution by any person before submission to that person;
• Read and approve any correspondence prepared by the applicant before mailing;
• Be present for any appearance by an applicant before a court or administrative tribunal or arrange for appropriate coverage; and
• Notify the State Bar of Nevada in writing promptly whenever supervision of the student or graduate ceases.

Private sector attorneys working with an applicant must be have actively practiced law in Nevada as a full-time occupation for at least five years, may supervise not more than two students concurrently, and must be present for court appearances and throughout activities that involve client or third-party interaction.

Before commencing supervision of a student or graduate, a private sector attorney must be approved as a supervisor by the State Bar of Nevada. When a law student or graduate submits their application to begin supervised practice, they will provide the name and contact information of their proposed supervisor. The state bar will then email the attorney the application to become an approved supervisor, which asks the attorney to indicate the name of the student or graduate the lawyer expects to supervise and the period during which the lawyer expects to supervise the activities.

To complete the supervised practice requirement of the licensing exam, applicants must satisfy both a task requirement and an hour requirement.

To satisfy the task requirement, the applicant must interview or counsel a client under your supervision AND complete at least three of the following additional tasks with you:

• Discuss the "big picture" of the client's needs;
• Prepare a strategic approach to achieve the client's needs by analyzing applicable law and facts;
• Conduct legal research;
• Draft correspondence to the client, adjudicators, or opposing counsel;
• Prepare documents for the client's matter, including those to be filed or submitted on the client's behalf;
• Negotiate, arbitrate, or mediate on behalf of the client;
• Appear in court or before an administrative tribunal or other body.

To satisfy the hour requirement, applicants must spend at least 40 hours engaged in lawyering tasks that include client contact and representation under your supervision. The hours applicants record include both the tasks involved and time spent with you discussing the case. Applicants will be expected to track their time and you will review that time to ensure accuracy.

At the end of the representation, the applicant will submit a certificate to the State Bar of Nevada, indicating they have completed the supervised practice requirements and providing your email address. This will prompt the bar to email you, asking that you complete the supervisor's certification form. You submitting the certification form to the state bar notifies bar admissions that the student's or graduate's supervised practice is complete.

The supervised practice component of the licensing exam requires the applicant to devote a minimum of 40 hours of client-related work. You can accept more than one pro bono case if you feel that there is a likelihood that the case type can be resolved quickly. Additionally, under the Pathways to Supervise Practice program, you can work with the applicant on an existing pro bono case, in addition to a new case, to ensure that the 40-hour requirement is reached.

Legal Aid Center’s Pathways to Supervised Practice program will ask its committed pro bono attorneys if they are willing to supervise a law student or recent graduate and will seek private volunteer attorneys to join the program. As students and graduates apply to the program, we will pair those applicants with supervising attorneys.

If you would like to participate as a supervisor, email the Pathways to Supervised Practice program at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You'll receive support from Legal Aid Center's Pro Bono Project as well as CLE credit for the supervision and the pro bono work. Malpractice coverage for the matter will be provided by Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

If you're a private practice attorney and wish to participate in the program with your law clerks or incoming associates, the clerk or associate must sign up with the Pathways to Supervised Practice program and then apply to the State Bar of Nevada to obtain their limited practice certification under NSCR 49.3. The Rule 49.3 application will prompt the state bar to email you the application to become an approved supervisor. When the law clerk's Rule 49.3 certification is in place and you have been approved as a supervisor, a pro bono case will be assigned. If the clerk or associate needs to complete supervised practice quickly, they should work with you and the Pathways to Supervised Practice program to select a case type that is likely to resolve within the applicant's timelines.

Yes! A private sector attorney can serve as supervising attorney for a law student or recent graduate employed by their firm so long as the supervised practice work is performed on a pro bono case provided by Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. The law student or recent graduate will simply sign up for the Pathways to Supervised Practice program then apply to the State Bar of Nevada for their NSCR 49.3 certification. Their application will prompt the bar to email you the application to become an approve supervisor. Your law firm is allowed to pay the law student or recent graduate so long as the supervised practice work is performed on a pro bono case where the client is not billed.

A variety of pro bono cases will be available to the supervising attorney and applicant through Legal Aid Center's Pathway to Supervised Practice program. The greatest need for assistance is representing a child either in dependency court or guardianship court. Training is available both in person and on demand for both the supervising attorney and applicant. Helpful resources can be found online and a mentor is available. Other available cases include:

• Appeals – Represent a client in an appeal case referred by the Nevada Supreme Court
• Bankruptcy – Represent a low-income client in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case
• Consumer Rights – Represent a client in a dispute involving consumer rights (i.e., dispute with a landlord, a car dealer, a credit card company)    
• Family Law – Represent a client in a family law matter
• Federal Court – Represent a pre-screened client in a federal court case referred by the U.S. District Court
• Guardianship – Represent a potential protected person where a guardianship is being sought           
• Immigration – Represent a client in an immigration matter

Other case types may be available upon request.

If the applicant must quickly accept a judicial position or has some other urgent obligation, they should work with the Pathways to Supervised Practice program and the supervising attorney to select a case type that is likely to resolve within the applicant's timelines.

The applicant must devote a minimum of 40 hours of client-related work to fulfill the client representation requirement. If the case cannot be completed within 40 hours, the applicant should continue handing the case with their supervising attorney until its conclusion. If there are exigent circumstances where the applicant cannot continue on the case, the supervising attorney will continue representation and the applicant can withdraw from the case, ensuring that the client's rights and interests are not prejudiced by the withdrawal.

A private sector supervising attorney can supervise not more than two applicants concurrently.

A lawyer employed by Legal Aid Center can share supervising responsibilities with other lawyers in their organization and may supervise more than two applicants concurrently so long as each applicant receives the same experience as if the supervision were not shared and the supervising lawyer remains primarily responsible for the applicant's activities.

Yes. You are required to notify the client that a law student or recent graduate certified under Nevada Supreme Court Rule 49.3 will be working on their matter under your supervision. Written or electronic consent from the client must be obtained.

However, in civil court-referred cases, such as dependency and guardianship, the consent requirement may be satisfied by the supervising attorney advising the client that a certified law student or graduate is representing them during the pendency of the case and by filing a Notice of Appearance with the court noting the appearance of the supervising attorney and the student or graduate.

The applicant's name may be included on legal documents, but the document must reflect that the applicant is certified under Rule 49.3 and is working under your direction as supervising attorney.

Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada is here to help you! We have resources for our pro bono case types HERE. If you don't see a resource you need, feel free to contact our pro bono team HERE.

If you have questions or would like more information about supervised practice, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The State Bar of Nevada also has resources for supervising attorneys at www.nvbar.org/nvplan.

Yes! CLE credit will be given to supervising attorneys. The state bar has approved 4 CLE credits for supervisors per supervised practice cycle, up to 12 credit annually.

Additionally, Supreme Court Rule 210(3) allows Nevada attorneys to earn one CLE credit for every three hours of uncompensated pro bono service. You can earn up to four CLE credits each year by taking pro bono cases. When you conclude your case, please report your hours HERE to receive both pro bono credit and acknowledgement for your time and to receive CLE credit for your pro bono service.