NCSB Journal Spring 2026

RULE AMENDMENTS

Amendments Pending Supreme Court Approval

The proposed amendment to the rules gov erning admission to the NC State Bar modifies the acceptable education requirements to in clude other legal degrees if the applicant has also been licensed in another US jurisdiction. Amendments to the Rules Governing Procedures for the Administrative Committee 27 NCAC 1D, Section .0900, Procedures for Administrative Committee Rule .0902, Reinstatement from Inactive Status Rule .0904, Reinstatement from Suspension The proposed amendments allow time spent as the spouse of a military service mem ber who is required to relocate outside North Carolina due to military orders to offset years of inactive or suspended status when seeking reinstatement to active status. Amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct of the North Carolina State Bar 27 NCAC 2, Rule 1.10, Imputation of Conflicts of Interest: General Rule The proposed amendments permit the

At its meeting on January 23, 2026, the council voted to adopt the following rule amendments for transmission to the North Carolina Supreme Court for its approval. (For the complete text of the rule amendments, see the Winter 2025 edition of the Journal or visit the State Bar website.) Amendments to the Rules Governing Discipline and Disability Rules 27 NCAC 1B, Section .0100, Discipline and Disability of Attorneys Rule .0133, Confidentiality The proposed amendments clarify existing exceptions to grievance confidentiality and specify that the State Bar may reveal the exis tence of a grievance investigation in connec tion with a petition for noncompliance sus pension pursuant to 27 NCAC 1B, .0135. Amendments to the Rules Governing the Board of Law Examiners and the Training of Law Students 27 NCAC 1C, Section .0100, Board of Law Examiners Rule .0105, Approval of Law Schools

Highlights · On January 23, 2026, amendments to the Rules Governing Discipline and Disability Rules; Rules Governing the Board of Law Examiners and the Training of Law Students; Rules Gov erning Procedures for the Adminis trative Committee; and Rules of Pro fessional Conduct of the NC State Bar were approved for adoption. · Proposed amendments to the Rules Governing Reciprocal Discipline and Disability Proceedings were approved for publication. These amendments clarify and streamline the reciprocal discipline process.

North Carolina Department of Justice and public defender offices to resolve imputed conflicts of interest by timely screening the disqualified lawyer and providing written no tice as described in the Rules.

Proposed Amendments

members of the standing committee or any subcommittee or panel thereof. … (9) Access to Justice Issues Committee. It shall be the duty of the Access to Justice Issues Committee to identify and explore issues concerning the regulation of the legal profession and the improvement of the quality of legal services available to the people of North Carolina, including to study and to recommend to the council programs and initiatives that respond to the profession’s responsibility, set forth in the Preamble to the Rules of Professional

At its meeting on January 23, 2026, the council voted to publish for comment the following proposed rule amendments: Proposed Amendments to the Rules Governing Standing Committees of the Council 27 NCAC 1A, Section .0700 The proposed amendments combine the existing Issues and Access to Justice Commit tees — along with their respective, similar missions — into a single, standing committee of the State Bar Council.

Rule .0701, Standing Committees and Boards (a) Standing Committees. Promptly after his or her election, the president shall appoint members to the standing committees identi fied below to serve for one year beginning January 1 of the year succeeding his or her election. Members of the committees need not be councilors, except to the extent ex pressly required by these rules, and may in clude non-lawyers. Unless otherwise directed by resolution of the council, all members of a standing committee, whether councilors or non-councilors, shall be entitled to vote as

SPRING 2026

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