In Re: Enmiendas Al Reglamento De Educación Jurídica Continua Y Al Reglamento Del Programa De Educación Jurídica…

Summary

The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, acting under its inherent power to regulate the legal profession, amended the 1998 Continuing Legal Education Regulation and the 2005 Continuing Legal Education Program Regulation. Key changes include extending the compliance period for the 24 credit hours from two to three years, requiring at least four hours in professional ethics and six hours in notarial law for active notaries, expanding distance-learning accreditation, pre-approving courses from recognized institutions, creating a Curriculum Review Commission, and transferring the appointment of the Program's Executive Director from the Chief Justice to the full Court. Several justices issued separate opinions: Chief Justice Fiol Matta dissented in part from the change to Rule 8 on the Executive Director's appointment; Justices Pabón Charneco and Kolthoff Caraballo dissented in part from retaining the lifetime exemption from CLE requirements for retired justices of the Court; Justice Martínez Torres (joined by Justice Feliberti Cintrón) concurred, defending the retention of exemptions on fiscal grounds; and Justice Oronoz Rodríguez concurred in part and dissented in part regarding the Rule 8 change and the treatment of sitting Court of General Justice judges.