Texas Admission Laws

Texas Supreme Court is the admitting body responsible for admissions to the state Bar.  The qualifications and procedures required for admission are prescribed in the Texas Supreme Court Rules governing admission to the Bar of Texas.  Rule II prescribes that an applicant for admission as a licensed attorney in Texas should be at least eighteen (18) years of age.  Applicant should be a graduate with a J.D. degree or its equivalent from an approved law school.  All applicants should successfully complete the Texas Bar Examination.  The Board of Law Examiners administers the exam.  The Board has the discretion to waive the limitation on the number of attempts to take the exam, which is set as five (5).  The exam consists of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), and the Texas Essay Questions.  Additionally, the applicants should also complete the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a scaled score of 85.
An out of the state attorney may be exempted from taking the Bar exam if s/he has been actively engaged in practice of law in another jurisdiction of the U.S. for at least five of the last seven years immediately preceding the filing of the application.  S/he should have a J.D. degree from an approved law school and should not have failed the Texas Bar Exam.  An out of the state attorney may be exempted from the educational requirement for the Texas Bar exam if s/he has been actively engaged in practice of law in another jurisdiction of the U.S. for at least three of the last five years and has a J.D. degree, not by correspondence, from a law school accredited in the jurisdiction where it exists.

Every attorney admitted to the Texas Bar should complete fifteen (15) hours of accredited continuing legal education credit during each Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) compliance year.  Texas MCLE Regulations 3.2 prescribes at least three (3) of this fifteen (15) hours of continuing legal education to be completed in the subject areas of legal ethics and/or professional responsibility.  This consists of two (2) hours of participatory credit and one (1) hour of self-study credit.

Tex. R. Gov. Bar Admis. II

Rule II General Eligibility Requirements for Admission to the Texas Bar
(a) To be eligible for admission or reinstatement as a licensed attorney in Texas, the Applicant shall:
(1) comply with all applicable requirements of these Rules;
(2) be at least eighteen (18) years of age;
(3) be of present good moral character and fitness;
(4) have completed the law study required under these Rules, unless specifically exempted under the terms of Rule XIII;
(5) qualify under one of the following categories:
(A) be a United States citizen;
(B) be a United States National;
(C) be an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence;
(D) be an alien otherwise authorized to work lawfully in the United States;
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Tex. R. Gov. Bar Admis. III
Rule III Law Study Requirement
(a) The law study requirement for eligibility of an Applicant to take the Texas Bar Examination, unless otherwise provided by these Rules, is met by:
(1) graduation with a J.D. degree or its equivalent from an approved law school;
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Tex. R. Gov. Bar Admis. V

Rule V Professional Responsibility Examination Requirement
No Applicant for admission to the Texas Bar shall be issued a license to practice law in Texas until such person has furnished to the Board evidence that (s)he has passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a scaled score of 85.
Tex. R. Gov. Bar Admis. XI

(e) The Texas Bar Examination shall last two and one-half days and shall consist of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), given on Tuesday morning; the Procedure and Evidence Questions (P&E), given on Tuesday morning; the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), given on Wednesday; and the Texas Essay Questions (Essays), given on Thursday.

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(f) An Applicant may take no more than five (5) examinations. However, for good cause shown, the Board at its discretion may waive this limitation upon such conditions as the Board may prescribe.

Tex. R. Gov. Bar Admis. XIII

Rule XIII Attorneys from Other Jurisdictions
(a) An attorney holding a valid, active law license issued by another state shall meet the requirements imposed on any other Applicant under these Rules, except that:
(1) An attorney holding a valid, active law license issued by another state is eligible for exemption from the requirement of successfully completing the Texas Bar Examination, if the attorney:
(A) has been actively and substantially engaged in the lawful practice of law in any state or elsewhere as his/her principal business or occupation for at least five of the last seven years immediately preceding the filing of the application;
(B) has a J.D. degree from an approved law school; and
(C) has not failed the Texas Bar Examination.
(2) An attorney holding a valid, active law license issued by another state is eligible for an exemption from the law study requirement for admission to take the Texas Bar Examination, if the attorney:
(A) has been actively and substantially engaged in the lawful practice of law in any state or elsewhere as his/her principal business or occupation for at least three of the last five years immediately preceding the filing of the most recent application or re-application; and
(B) (1) holds a J.D. degree, not based on study by correspondence, from an unapproved law school that is accredited in the jurisdiction where it exists or
(2) holds the equivalent of a J.D. degree, not based on study by correspondence, from a law school accredited in the jurisdiction where it exists and which requires the equivalent of a three-year course of study that is the substantial equivalent of the legal education provided by an approved law school.
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Tex. MCLE Reg. 3.0

§ 3.0 Minimum Educational Requirements
3.1 Fifteen total hours of accredited continuing legal education credit are required to be completed during each MCLE compliance year (including the initial 24-month compliance year) in order to meet the minimum educational requirements set out in Article XII, Section 6A, State Bar Rules.
3.2 A minimum of three (3) of the required fifteen (15) hours of CLE must be completed in the subject areas of legal ethics and/or professional responsibility. Two (2) hours of this minimum 3-hour requirement must be completed in the form of participatory credit. One (1) [hour] of this minimum 3-hour requirement may be completed in the form of self-study credit (Article XII, Section 6B)

Bar Information for International Lawyers

An LL.M. degree does not make foreign lawyers eligible to practice law in the U.S. Each U.S. state regulates the admission of attorneys to the practice of law within its jurisdiction. The requirements for bar admission vary from state to state and are complex. A foreign LL.M. student who plans to take a U.S. state bar exam must carefully investigate the relevant requirements prior to beginning their studies.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to read the information provided by the Board of Legal Examiners in the state where they want to take the bar exam. It is also the applicant’s responsibility to contact that state’s Board of Legal Examiners with any questions, submit all documents and fees in a timely manner, and complete any U.S. law courses required by that state’s Board of Legal Examiners. Each state has final authority to determine whether an applicant meets the requirements to sit its bar examination.

Traditionally, the two most common and easily accessible bar exams for foreign lawyers have been in California and New York. However, the Texas Board of Legal Examiners changed its qualifying rules in 2014 and established itself as one of the three most easily accessible bars for foreign lawyers. Many states have also adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”), which allows successful bar takers to apply to transfer their license between UBE states.

Texas Bar

After extensive efforts by The University of Texas School of Law and colleagues from across the state, the Texas Board of Legal Examiners amended Rules I, II, III, XIII, XIV, XVII and XIX of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas. The changes became effective in October 2014, and the rules (Rule XIII) governing the eligibility of foreign lawyers to take the Texas Bar Examination are now similar to the rules of the New York Bar; the Texas Bar is now one of the most accessible U.S. bars for foreign lawyers who are either licensed to practice in their own country or have a first professional degree in law from a Common Law system. Texas Law is excited about this significant step forward in the globalization of legal education in the State of Texas. Furthermore, starting in February 2021, Texas will adopt the UBE.

Visit the Texas BLE for past exams, a sample application form, and deadlines.

Contact the Texas Board of Law Examiners for more information.

New York Bar

The LL.M. Program at Texas Law has aligned its curricular programming with the curricular requirements of the New York Bar (and the Texas Bar), and all of the courses that foreign lawyers need to qualify for the New York Bar can be completed at Texas Law. Information for qualifying for the New York Bar can be found on the New York State Board of Law Examiners website. Additionally, LL.M. students have the opportunity to participate in our Pro Bono Program and begin to accumulate the 50 Pro Bono hours needed for eligibility to the New York Bar.

Under Rule 520.18, all LL.M. students admitted starting August 2018 will have to comply with the Skills Competency and Professional Values Bar Admission Requirement for admissions to the New York Bar. Our LL.M. students can fulfill this requirement following either of the following pathways: (1) LL.M.s have practiced law full-time for a year or more before starting the LL.M. degree (520.18(a)(5)) or (2) LL.M.s have completed a 6-month legal apprenticeship within 3 years after taking the New York Bar exam (520.18(a)(4)). New York has adopted the UBE.

Visit the New York BOLE for past exam essay with sample candidate answers.

Contact the New York State Board of Law Examiners for more information.

California Bar

LL.M. students who are admitted to practice law in jurisdictions outside the U.S. qualify for the general California Bar Examination without any further study of law. LL.M. students with a first professional degree in law who are not admitted to practice law in jurisdictions outside the U.S. must complete certain curriculum requirements listed in Title 4, Chapter 2, Rule 4.30. The LL.M. program must contain four separate subjects tested on the California Bar Examination of not less than a total of 12 semester or equivalent units. One of the four courses must be Professional Responsibility that covers the California Rules of Professional Conduct, relevant sections of the California Business and Professions Code, the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and leading federal and state case law on the subject. Additional information about qualifying for the California Bar is available on the State Bar of California website. California has not adopted the UBE.

Visit the State Bar of California for past exams.

Contact the State Bar of California for more information.