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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>73725</law_id><section_number>54.1-3900</section_number><catch_line>Practice of law; student internship program; definition</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>13.1-1113</reference><reference>50-73.143</reference><reference>54.1-2988.1</reference><reference>55.1-1000</reference><reference>55.1-1003</reference><reference>55.1-1006</reference><reference>63.2-1914</reference><reference>65.2-312</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="54.1">Professions and Occupations</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="IV">Professions Regulated by the Supreme Court</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="39">Attorneys</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="1">General Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Persons who hold a license or certificate to practice <span class="dictionary">law</span> under the <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of this Commonwealth and have paid the license tax prescribed by <span class="dictionary">law</span> may practice <span class="dictionary">law</span> in the Commonwealth.
		Any person authorized and practicing as <span class="dictionary">counsel</span> or <span class="dictionary">attorney</span> in any state or territory of the United States, or in the District of Columbia, may for the purpose of attending to any case he may occasionally have in association with a practicing <span class="dictionary">attorney</span> of this Commonwealth practice in the <span class="dictionary">courts</span> of this Commonwealth, in which case no license fee shall be chargeable against such nonresident <span class="dictionary">attorney</span>.
		Nothing herein shall prohibit the limited practice of <span class="dictionary">law</span> by military legal assistance <span class="dictionary">attorneys</span> who are employed by a military program providing legal services to low-income military clients and their dependents pursuant to rules promulgated by the Supreme <span class="dictionary">Court</span> of Virginia.
		Nothing herein shall prohibit a limited practice of <span class="dictionary">law</span> under the supervision of a practicing <span class="dictionary">attorney</span> by (i) third-year <span class="dictionary">law</span> students or (ii) persons who are in the final year of a program of study as authorized in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Preliminary proof of education required of applicant" href="/54.1-3926/">54.1-3926</a>, pursuant to rules promulgated by the Supreme <span class="dictionary">Court</span> of Virginia.
		Nothing herein shall prohibit an employee of a state agency in the course of his employment from representing the interests of his agency in administrative <span class="dictionary">hearings</span> before any state agency, such representation to be limited to the examination of witnesses at administrative <span class="dictionary">hearings</span> relating to personnel matters and the adoption of agency standards, policies, rules and regulations.
		Nothing herein shall prohibit designated nonattorney employees of the Department of Social Services from completing, signing and filing <span class="dictionary">petitions</span> and <span class="dictionary">motions</span> relating to the establishment, modification, or enforcement of support on forms approved by the Supreme <span class="dictionary">Court</span> of Virginia in Department cases in the juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">courts</span>.
		Nothing herein shall prohibit designated nonattorney employees of a local department of social services from appearing before an intake officer to initiate a case in accordance with subsection A of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Intake; petition; investigation" href="/16.1-260/">16.1-260</a> on behalf of the local department of social services.
		Nothing herein shall prohibit designated nonattorney employees of a local department of social services from completing, signing, and filing with the clerk of the juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">court</span>, on forms approved by the Supreme <span class="dictionary">Court</span> of Virginia, <span class="dictionary">petitions</span> for foster care review, <span class="dictionary">petitions</span> for permanency planning <span class="dictionary">hearings</span>, <span class="dictionary">petitions</span> to establish paternity, <span class="dictionary">motions</span> to establish or modify support, <span class="dictionary">motions</span> to <span class="dictionary">amend</span> or review an <span class="dictionary">order</span>, or <span class="dictionary">motions</span> for a rule to show cause.
		Nothing herein shall prohibit a nonattorney attendance officer, or a local school division superintendent or his designee when acting as an attendance officer pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Appointment of attendance officers; notification when pupil fails to report to school; plan; conference; court proceedings" href="/22.1-258/">22.1-258</a>, from completing, signing, and filing with the intake officer of a juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">court</span>, on forms approved by the Supreme <span class="dictionary">Court</span> of Virginia, a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for a violation of a school attendance <span class="dictionary">order</span> entered by a juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">court</span> pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Children in need of supervision" href="/16.1-278.5/">16.1-278.5</a> in response to the filing of a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> alleging the pupil is a child in need of supervision as defined in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/16.1-228/">16.1-228</a>.
		As used in this chapter &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">attorney</span>&#x201D; means <span class="dictionary">attorney</span>-at-<span class="dictionary">law</span>.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 54-42; 1972, c. 391; 1974, c. 456; 1976, c. 277; 1988, c. 765; 1991, c. 650; 1994, c. 30; 1998, c. 796; 2008, cc. 136, 845; 2016, c. 704; 2020, cc. 105, 106.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
