Getting a J.D. in California might become just a little bit more difficult. The State Bar of California’s Task Force on Admissions Regulation Reform has issued a recommendation that new attorneys be required to complete 15 hours of practical skills training and 50 hours of pro bono service before being admitted to practice, according to The National Law Journal. If approved, the requirement could be in place as soon as 2015.

New York was the first state to require pro bono work prior to bar admission, but California would be the first state to add a practical skills mandate.

California State Bar President Patrick Kelly told The National Law Journal, “We want to better prepare lawyers to face the challenges and reach the potential that brought them to law school in the first place.”

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