Pennsylvania Bar Admission Rule 321 and similar rules in other states authorize appearances in court under certain circumstances by students who have completed three semesters of law school. Those rules typically require that an Associate Dean for Academic Affairs certify students as being of good character and competent legal ability and as being adequately trained to perform as a certified legal intern.

Students seeking certification in Pennsylvania should obtain the proper form and instructions on completing the form from the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners Web site (pabarexam.org). From the Board of Law Examiners homepage, scroll down to "Application Information — Download Applications." On the "Application Forms" page, scroll down to "Application for Certification for Formal Participation in Legal Matters by Law Students Under Pa.B.A.R. 321 and 322." A student seeking certification in another state should consult the appropriate student practice rule and meet with an Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to effect compliance with that rule.

To enable a student to serve as a legal intern following second-year fall semester examinations, the school will tentatively presume that the student has successfully completed three semesters at the end of examinations for the third semester. Should this presumption be overcome by the student's performance in the third semester, the school will withdraw the student's certification. Students who have taken courses on a part-time basis will be considered, for certification purposes, to have completed the equivalent of three semesters when they have completed 43 credit hours.