Admission on Motion—Years of Practice and Definition of Practice

Alabama In addition to other requirements, reciprocity applicants must certify permanent residency in Alabama and/or the intention to conduct the primary practice of law in Alabama and maintain an office in the state.

Arizona Must have held a law license in active status for 3 out of the 5 years immediately preceding application. If applicants meet requirements, there is a provision for practice pending admission on motion. Professorship recognition requires full-time law school professorship. Applicant may qualify by either 1) being admitted by bar examination in a reciprocal jurisdiction or 2) being admitted by bar examination in any US jurisdiction and thereafter were admitted to and engaged in the active practice of law in a reciprocal jurisdiction for 3 of the last 5 years while maintaining a law license in active status.

Hawaii Full-time faculty members at the University of Hawaii Law School who graduated from an ABA-approved law school and who have been admitted to practice in another US jurisdiction are eligible. In addition, full-time active-duty uniformed-service judge advocates may apply for limited admission without examination to represent, without additional compensation, certain active-duty enlisted military personnel and their dependents. Attorneys who are graduates of ABA-accredited law schools, actively licensed to practice law in another US jurisdiction, and employed by a civil legal service provider recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is eligible to receive funds from the Indigent Legal Assistance Fund may apply for limited admission.

Iowa Applicants who have failed 5 or more bar examinations are not eligible for admission on motion. Applicants who have failed the bar examination administered in Iowa within 5 years of the filing of their applications are not eligible for admission on motion.

Kentucky Active engagement in the teaching of the law, to be considered as active engagement in the practice of law for purposes of admission on motion, is defined as full-time teaching at an ABA-accredited law school.

Maryland Experienced attorneys licensed to practice in another US jurisdiction may be eligible for admission to the Bar of Maryland without examination. Admission without examination will be governed by Maryland Rules 19-215 and 19-216. Admission without examination pursuant to Rules 19-215 and 19-216 applies regardless of whether legal education is domestic or foreign.

New Jersey Admission on motion for a plenary license was adopted on September 1, 2016. Limited licenses on motion include in-house counsel, military spouse, law school professor, and foreign in-house counsel registration. Please refer to the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners website for specific requirements and fees.

New York There is also a separate $375 attorney registration fee that must be paid prior to admission and every 2 years thereafter.

Oklahoma  If the former state of the applicant permits the admission of Oklahoma judges and lawyers upon motion but their rules are more stringent and exacting and contain other limitations, restrictions, or conditions of admission, the admission of applicant shall be governed by their rules which would apply to an applicant from Oklahoma seeking admission to the bar in the applicant’s former state.

Oregon  Admission on motion is available only to attorneys who passed the bar exam of another US jurisdiction and are active members in another US jurisdiction, subject to the following requirements: 1) must be licensed to practice law in the United States for at least 24 consecutive months, 2) must not be subject to any disciplinary or administrative suspension for 60 months prior to submitting the application, 3) must have been actively engaged in the full-time practice of law for 24 of the 48 months prior to the application, and 4) must complete CLE requirements prior to admission and within 6 months of submitting the application.

Pennsylvania An applicant must have graduated from a law school that was approved by the ABA at the time of the applicant’s matriculation or graduation.

South Carolina Admission on motion only for dean or a tenured professor of the University of South Carolina School of Law or the Charleston School of Law.

Tennessee Admission without examination in Tennessee is governed by Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7, § 5.01 et. seq. An attorney must have been licensed in another US jurisdiction and have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law under a qualifying license for 5 of the 7 years immediately preceding the application.

Guam Only government attorneys may be admitted temporarily without written examination and only for the purposes of government employment. Government attorneys applying for temporary admission must still undergo a character and fitness investigation. Attorneys admitted under this rule are only granted temporary admission for a maximum of 5 years.

Northern Mariana Islands Government attorneys may be admitted temporarily without written examination and only for the purposes of government employment. Government attorneys applying for temporary admission must still undergo a character and fitness investigation. Attorneys admitted under this rule are only granted temporary admission for a maximum of 4 years.

Palau Attorneys may be admitted pro hac vice for a fee of $1,000; or if employed by the government of Palau or any other government entity or Micronesian Legal Services Corporation, they may be admitted to practice for 4 years without taking the bar exam. The admission fee is $200.

Virgin Islands Admission on motion for regular admissions was adopted on April 26, 2017. This is distinctly separate from limited licenses on motion (special admission) of authorized departments or agencies, where an attorney may be specially admitted to practice law before the Virgin Islands Supreme Court and the Superior Court, without written examination and as an employee of the department or agency. Once specially admitted, the special admission shall expire after seven years.

District of Columbia District of Columbia requires 3 years’ continuous good standing immediately preceding the application, but there is no practice requirement.

Massachusetts Board requires proof that the applicant has been actively engaged in the practice of law for 5 out of the past 7 years immediately preceding the application.

Minnesota Applicant must provide documentary evidence that the applicant was engaged in the lawful practice of law for at least 1,000 hours per year in at least 36 of the 60 months immediately preceding the application. The practice of law of professors, judicial law clerks whose primary responsibilities are legal research and writing, military lawyers, and federal government lawyers which takes place outside a state where licensed is considered the lawful practice of law. Practice which occurs outside of a jurisdiction where licensed is also considered the lawful practice of law so long as such practice is authorized by the jurisdiction in which the practice takes place.

Mississippi Admission is contingent on not less than 5 years of active practice in a state or states with bar admission requirements equivalent to Mississippi, though requirements are more stringent if the jurisdiction from which the applicant comes has more stringent reciprocal admission requirements.

Nebraska Motion applicants must have a qualifying UBE or non-UBE score within the last 3 years or have been substantially engaged in the practice of law 3 of the last 5 years.

New Hampshire Lawyers from Maine and Vermont may be admitted after 3 years of practice; all other lawyers must have practiced 5 of past 7 years.

North Carolina North Carolina allows for admission on motion for Military Spouse Comity Applicants. The applicant must be licensed in a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and have been practicing actively and substantially for 4 out of the last 8 years. There is no application fee required for Military Spouse Comity Applicants.

Ohio  Applicants must have primarily engaged in the active practice of law for five of the most recent seven years with more than 1,000 hours per year prior to submitting their application.

Oklahoma Rule is 3 of past 5 years; if the state the applicant is licensed in has rules that are more stringent and exacting and contain other limitations, restrictions or conditions of admission, the admission shall be governed by their rules. Years of practice earned under supervision and subject to the disciplinary requirements of multiple reciprocal jurisdictions may be combined.

Vermont 5 of the preceding 10. 3 of the preceding 10 if the attorney has been admitted at least 6 months in a jurisdiction that requires fewer than 5 years of practice as condition for admission on motion by Vermont attorneys. For lawyers from Maine and New Hampshire, 3 years of active practice immediately preceding motion for admission.

Virginia 3 of the most recent 5 years. At least 5 years bar admission required.

West Virginia Rules are silent as to whether in-house corporate experience qualifies as active practice of law.

Wisconsin Applicants who failed the Wisconsin bar exam are not eligible for admission on motion.

Wyoming Has engaged in the active, authorized practice of law for a minimum of 300 hours per year for 5 of 7 years immediately preceding the date of the application. The determination of whether an applicant satisfies the requirement will be made utilizing a 7-year look-back from the date the application is submitted.

Missouri  For any of the types of practice that qualify toward the requisite practice experience, the applicant must be engaged in the “full-time practice of law.” Regulation 1 of Rule 8.10 describes the “practice of law” as a term of art, that the term connotes more than merely working with legally related matters, and that the applicant bears the burden to prove the applicant’s previous professional experience satisfies the requirements of the rule.

Tennessee Private practice of law, teaching law at an ABA-approved law school, in-house corporate counsel, Judge in a federal, state, or local court of record, Attorney General or Assistant Attorney General, Public Defender, U.S. Attorney, District Attorney, or attorney or general counsel for a local, state or federal agency, including military service, Military Spouse practicing under a license similar to section 10.06 of Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7.

Alabama Within 36 months of admission to the practice of law in the reciprocal jurisdiction.

Alaska Not more than 8 years prior to the applicant’s Alaska application for admission.

Colorado Validity of the MPRE score is 5 years from the date of application; the MPRE requirement is waived if the applicant has been engaged in the authorized active practice of law for at least 15 years in another US jurisdiction with no public discipline and the applicant previously took the MPRE for admission in another US jurisdiction. If the applicant was not required to take the MPRE for admission in another US jurisdiction, but otherwise meets the waiver requirements, the applicant may request a waiver via petition to the court under C.R.C.P. 206.

Connecticut An applicant for admission on motion must submit proof of a score of 80 or above on the MPRE, or a grade of either “C” or “Pass” in a course in professional responsibility/legal ethics from an ABA or Committee approved law school as part of its regular curriculum.

Hawaii Not earlier than 2 years before the bar application is filed and not later than 1 year after date of notification of passing.

Idaho No MPRE score is required for admission on motion applicants in Idaho.

Iowa There is no MPRE score requirement for applicants seeking admission on motion.

Maine An applicant for admission by motion must either (1) have taken and obtained a passing score on the MPRE within 15 years prior to the date on which the application is filed or (2) if relying on a passing score on the MPRE that is more than 15 years old, demonstrate to the Board that the applicant in the past was admitted to practice law in another United States jurisdiction that, at the time of the applicant’s admission in that jurisdiction, required a passing score on the MPRE that was equal to or greater than the passing score in Maine.

Mississippi The applicant must comply with the MPRE requirements of their reciprocal jurisdiction.

Missouri Motion applicants are not required to transfer an MPRE score to be eligible for admission.

Montana The time frame within which an MPRE score must have been earned is 3 years.

Nebraska 3 years from rendition of score.

North Dakota An MPRE score is not required for a motion applicant based on years of practice.

South Carolina If the applicant has not met all requirements, including obtaining a valid MPRE score, and is not sworn in within 2 years of filing an application, the application will be withdrawn. South Carolina will not accept an MPRE score taken more than 3 years prior to filing of the application.

Tennessee An MPRE score is not required for applicants seeking admission on motion.

Texas Applicants for admission on motion are given a 6-month period after being notified, if missing any eligibility requirements, including the MPRE, to meet all said eligibility requirements.

Vermont An MPRE score is not required for admission on motion.

Virginia There is no MPRE requirement.

Washington MPRE is not a requirement for admission on motion.

West Virginia Within 25 months of application. The Board of Law Examiners may, if requested by the applicant, accept any MPRE score achieved in another jurisdiction in a prior examination conducted within 25 months of application for admission. All applicants for admission on motion shall notify the Board of their intention to use the MPRE score achieved in another jurisdiction at the time their application is filed.

Wyoming Proof the applicant has passed the MPRE with a scaled score of 85 points or greater (75 points or greater for MPREs administered between January 1, 1999, and October 1, 2014). If the date of the applicant’s first admission in any jurisdiction was prior to 1999, a certification by the applicant that the applicant obtained a passing score on the MPRE in connection with that admission will suffice.

Northern Mariana Islands Government attorneys applying for temporary admission do not need to submit an MPRE score.

Virgin Islands An MPRE scaled score is not required for admission on motion applicants.

Maine  Effective March 15, 2025, the fee for admission by motion applicants is $1,000.