Admission to the Bar—General Information
Lawyers may practice only in the state or states where they are members of the bar in good standing. However, many states will admit a lawyer to its bar if the lawyer has been admitted to the bar of another state and has practiced law actively for a certain number of years. This is known as “motion admission.” Courts often grant temporary bar admission to out-of-state lawyers for the duration of a specific case.
Many states have student practice rules that, in conjunction with students’ academic programs, admit advanced law students who are under the close supervision of an admitted lawyer. A few states require law students to register with the board of bar examiners before graduation or, in some cases, soon after they are enrolled in law school, if they intend to practice in those states. So, if you’re planning to attend law school, you should check the bar admission requirements for those states in which you may wish to practice after graduation.
Federal courts set their own standards for admission. It is a common requirement for federal district court admission that the lawyer be admitted to the bar in the state in which the federal district is located or, for the applicant to have one valid state court admission.
Some state bar associations inquire about the law school admission records of those seeking admission to the bar. You should keep and maintain complete copies of all law school application records throughout the admission cycle and your law school career.
All states accept graduation from an ABA-approved law school as meeting the state’s education requirement for eligibility to sit for the bar examination. A number of states have special rules that accept other forms of legal education as sufficient. For information regarding bar admission requirements, download the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements. The latest edition should also be available in any law school library or can be ordered through the ABA Service Center at 1.800.285.2221. If you would like additional information relating to bar admissions about a specific state, please contact the appropriate authority in that state. Also, you may want to visit the websites for The National Conference of Bar Examiners and the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar.
Distance Education
Educating a student for a Juris Doctor degree is a professional education of a most distinct variety. During a law school education, a student is expected to participate in a learning community to develop skills and knowledge that will advance the legal system, society, and the student’s career. This law school experience involves interaction with faculty and fellow students outside the classroom as well as in class. Students also learn from each other by inquiry and challenge, review, and study groups.
ABA-approved law schools may not offer a JD degree program that is online or done through correspondence study. ABA-approved law schools may grant credit hours for distance education courses, but no more than 4-credit hours in any term, and no more than 12-credit hours toward the JD degree. Students should be aware that studying law by correspondence or other distance education programs would limit the ability to sit for the bar in many states.
