When it convenes July 28 in Sarasota, the Board of Governors is expected to weigh a proposal designed to help prosecutors and public defenders offset a recruiting “crisis.”

The Florida Public Defender Association’s proposed amendments to Bar Rule 11-1.9 permit a law school graduate to practice for up to a year — under the supervision of an attorney — while awaiting Bar admission.

The proposed amendment adds a subdivision that states: “A graduate of an American Bar Association approved law school who has filed an application to The Florida Bar and received an initial clearance letter as to character and fitness from the Florida Board of Bar Examiners may make appearances for the maximum term of certification of 12 months from graduation for the same entities and under the same restrictions that are applicable to students in law school practice programs under this chapter….”