CHAPTER 6 - 6-7 AUTHORIZED HOUSE COUNSEL

• Jurisdiction: United States

6-7 Authorized House Counsel

A lawyer who is licensed and in good standing in another jurisdiction, who has been approved for admission by the Bar Examining Committee, who agrees to abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct and who is employed by a Connecticut corporation, partnership or other legal entity, may be licensed as an authorized house counsel (AHC).¹¹⁸ AHC lawyers may not work for a legal services provider or employee leasing agency such as Kelly Lawyers. Authorized house counsel must be employed directly by their client business.¹¹⁹

The adoption of the authorized house counsel regime as found in Practice Book § 2-15A solved a vexing problem that had festered for years—that Connecticut corporations were employing very experienced and qualified attorneys to work "in house" who were not licensed in Connecticut. For some, obtaining a Connecticut license was not possible because they had law degrees from non-ABA accredited schools. For others, it made little sense to do so because their time in Connecticut was to be...