MBA's Practicing with Professionalism Resource Center
Congratulations, counselor! You are now a member of a noble and exclusive group of professionals who are privileged to call themselves Massachusetts attorneys. This privilege comes with the responsibility of upholding your oath to "conduct [yourself] in the office of an attorney within the courts according to the best of [your] knowledge and discretion, and with all good fidelity."
Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:16 requires all persons newly licensed to practice law in Massachusetts on or after Sept. 1, 2013, to complete a half-day Practicing with Professionalism Course. While the Supreme Judicial Court had temporarily suspended the rule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SJC reinstated Rule 3:16, effective Sept. 10, 2020. Under the reinstatement order, “lawyers admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth between September 10, 2018, and the date of this Order who have not yet completed a Practicing with Professionalism Course shall have twenty-four months from the date of their admission to do so.”
The Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) is committed to helping you enter the profession on the right track by offering an affordable and convenient means of satisfying this requirement.
The $50 course registration fee includes:
- Program materials associated with the PWP course.
- Recordkeeping and attendance reports to the Board of Bar Overseers, which will be handled by the MBA.
With your MBA membership (FREE for individuals admitted to the bar in 2020), you will become a part of a diverse network of more than 11,000 judges and attorneys across the commonwealth who are committed to professional excellence and respect for the law. In addition, your MBA membership gives you access to up-to-date information, practical tools to help your professional development and valuable resources to help your practice thrive.
The MBA will offer virtual courses on the following dates:
- Friday, March 17, 2023, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: SOLD OUT
- Friday, May 12, 2023, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: RSVP here
- Friday, July 14, 2023, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: RSVP here
- Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: RSVP here
- Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, 10a.m.-1p.m.: RSVP here