§.2.3.    Orientation to the Profession Program

(a) Orientation Program.     The Chairman of the Committee shall conduct at least quarterly an orientation to professional ethics and professionalism for applicants seeking admission to practice as attorneys and counsellors at law.

(b) Required Attendance.   Every attorney admitted to the practice of law after September 1, 1999 shall attend an orientation program prior to admission.

(c) Exemptions.      The following persons shall be exempt from this requirement:

(1) Subject to the requirements in §1500.12(f) of this Part, attorneys who do not practice law in New York.  Attorneys practice law pursuant to this section, if during the first two years after admission they give legal advice or counsel to, or provide legal representation for, a particular body or individual in a particular situation in either the public or private sector;

(2) Attorneys who have been engaged in the practice of law in another state, the District of Columbia, any territory of the United States of any foreign jurisdiction, for the five years preceding admission to the New York Bar; and,

(3) Full-time active members of the United States Armed Forces.

(d) Waivers.  The Chairman of the Committee may, in individual cases involving undue hardship or extenuating circumstances, upon written request, grant waivers and modifications of this requirement.