P.R. Laws tit. 4A, § 1
(a) Establishment. — The Board of Bar Examiners and these regulations are established in accordance with the provisions of §§ 721-726 of this title as part of the Rules of the Honorable Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.
(b) Members. —
(1) Composition. — The Board of Bar Examiners (“the Board”) shall be composed of one of the justices of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico (“the Court”), who shall preside over it, and of a number of attorneys to be determined from time to time by the court, according to need.
(2) Appointment of Members. — Board members shall be appointed by resolution of the court. To this end, the court may ask institutions or organizations with an interest in legal education and in the administration of justice to recommend candidates for appointment. Recommendations shall be accompanied by a brief summary of the recommended person’s formal education and professional activities, as well as any other information required by the court. The court may appoint law school professors, judges and other public employees to the Board. The fundamental criterion to be used in making appointments is to achieve a well-balanced Board.
(3) Requirements for membership. — The members of the Board shall:
(A) Be admitted to the practice of law in Puerto Rico;
(B) have at least five (5) years of professional experience;
(C) enjoy a good reputation;
(D) have demonstrated an interest in legal education or the professional improvement of attorneys.
(4) Tenure. — With the exception of the Chairperson, Board members shall be appointed for a term to be fixed by the court, but never for more than five (5) consecutive years. Whenever possible, its composition shall be renewed proportionately every year.
The court may extend the term of appointment of any member of the Board, or of the Board as a whole, in special cases where such extension is necessary to permit the member or Board to complete its work after expiration of the original term or after a new member or Board has been appointed.
(5) Quorum. — A quorum for meetings of the Board shall consist of at least three (3) members in addition to the Executive Director and administrative personnel.
The vote of an absent member may not be delegated to a member who is present at the meeting.
(6) Per diems. — Board members who are not permanent employees of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, its agencies or public corporations, shall receive $50.00 per diem allowance for each day of attendance at meetings and official activities of the Board.
Members of the Board who travel from areas beyond metropolitan San Juan shall be reimbursed for mileage and toll charges in accordance with regulations currently in effect for officials of the Judicial Branch.
Any person appointed by this court to perform any official task for the Board shall be reimbursed for per diems and mileage as provided in this section.
(c) Executive Director. —
(1) Appointment. — The office of executive director of the Board shall be held by a full-time officer appointed by resolution of the court, who shall be accountable to it.
(2) Powers and Duties. — The Executive Director shall undertake any task he deems necessary or convenient to contribute to the court’s work and to assist and advise the Board or its members in their individual studies.
As such, he shall be in charge of the Board’s office; shall supervise the work of its officers, have its files under his custody, and be responsible for the general administration of all its affairs with no limitations except those agreed [to] by the Supreme Court or the Justice appointed to preside over the Board.
In the performance of his duties, the Executive Director shall have ample powers to gather the information and documents and take the necessary administrative measures he deems useful and beneficial for the Board in the preparation, administration, and notification of the bar examination.
After each bar examination, he shall render a report to the court about the status and results of his work.
History —Mar. 17, 1983; Jan. 16, 1987.