Admission without examination

Connecticut Bar Examining Committee
Admission Without Examination
Instructions, forms & requirements
(on motion/reciprocity)

Be sure you read and understand the rules of the Superior Court and the regulations of the Bar Examining Committee governing Admission to the Connecticut bar.

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Admission Requirements
Forms - Download related forms from list below - (fillable PDF forms)
Frequently Asked Questions

Admission Requirements: (Connecticut Practice Book)

The following summary of the requirements for admission without examination is for guidance only. See the rules for the exact language of the requirements which language is controlling:

1) Degree from an approved law school (PB 2-13)

2) Good moral character, fit to practice law and in good standing in each jurisdiction in which admitted (Rule 2-13(1))

3) Admitted to the bar in at least one jurisdiction which will admit Connecticut attorneys to its bar without examination under provisions similar to those in Rule 2-13 (List of Reciprocal Jurisdictions) and duly licensed to practice law and lawfully engaged in the practice of law as principal means of livelihood in such reciprocal jurisdiction for at least five of the last ten years immediately preceding filing for admission in Connecticut (Rule 2-13(a)(2))*

and/or

4) Engaged in the supervision of law students within a clinical law program of one or more accredited law schools in another jurisdiction or jurisdictions while a member of the faculty of such school or schools within the ten years immediately preceding the date of application, whether or not any such jurisdiction is a reciprocal jurisdiction.

5) Intention to practice in Connecticut and/or to supervise law students within a clinical law program at an accredited Connecticut law school while a member of the faculty of such school (Rule 2-13(a)(4))

6) Score of at least "80" on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) or a "C" or better in a course in professional responsibility at an ABA-approved law school. Such passing score or grade must be achieved within four years before or one year after an application for admission to the Connecticut bar is filed. (N.B. You are not eligible for admission to the bar until you have met this requirement. As a general rule, a course taken while in law school will be too old to qualify to waive the MPRE. A current course in professional responsibility may, of course, be used to fulfill the requirement in lieu of the MPRE.) (Rule 2-13(1)).

7) Per Section 2-13(b), the “practice of law” shall include the following activities, if performed in a reciprocal jurisdiction after the date of the applicant’s admission to that jurisdiction:

representation of one or more clients in the practice of law;
service as a lawyer with a state, federal, or territorial agency, including military services; however, such service for a federal agency, including military service, need not be performed in a reciprocal jurisdiction;
teaching law at an accredited law school, including supervision of law students within a clinical program;
service as a judge in a state, federal, or territorial court of record;
service as a judicial law clerk; or
any combination of the above.

* If you were unsuccessful on the Connecticut bar examination within the past five years, you are not eligible to apply for admission without examination at this time. Please see Practice Book § 2-13(a) (2) (B).

8) The forms for admission without exam are listed below. See How to use Acrobat^® fillable forms

Form and Title	Fillable PDF
Form M1 - Application	M1
Form M2 - Additional response page	M2
Form M3 - Amendment	M3
Form M4 - Affidavit of good standing	M4
Form M5 - Certificate of intention to practice in Connecticut	M5
Form M6 - Summary sheet	M6
Form M7 - Return address labels	M7
Form M7A - Address change labels	M7A
Form M8 - Certificate of Actual Practice	M8
Form M9 – Status Sheet	M9
Instructions for Forms M12, M13, M14, & M22	Instruc.
Form M12 – Personal reference letter	M12
Form M13 - Affidavit of Connecticut attorney	M13
Form M14 - Affidavit of attorney licensed in a jurisdiction in which you are licensed	M14
Form M15 – Affidavit of supervisor or commanding officer of the agency, including military services, at which you provided services as a lawyer	M15
Form M16 - Affidavit of the dean of the accredited Connecticut law school at which you have accepted employment	M16
Form M17 - Affidavit of the dean of the accredited law school at which you have supervised law students in a clinical program as a member of the faculty	M17
Form M21 - Certificate of dean of law school	M21
Form M22 - Employer reference letter	M22
Form M22A - Employment-continuation page	M22A
Form M33 – Military Service	M33
Form M40A - Description of Conditions, Impairments, Disorders, and Conduct or Behavior Causing Hospitalization or Treatment	M40A
Form M40B - Authorization to Release Medical Records	M40B
Form M55A - Driving Records-continuation page	M55A

9) The completed application and supporting documents are to be sent to:

Connecticut Bar Examining Committee
Motion Application Department
100 Washington Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06106-4411

10) The application must be typewritten or completed on our fill-in form. Handwritten applications will be returned unprocessed.

11) Attach a self-addressed, stamped post card to your application if you wish an immediate acknowledgement of your filing.

12) The filing fee is $1800.00. All fees must be paid by certified check or money order payable to: Connecticut Bar Examining Committee. Fees are non refundable. No personal, corporate or law firm checks will be accepted.

13) The following supporting documents are required for a complete application:

_____	a) Official transcripts (with seals) from all undergraduate institutions attended whether or not a degree was received.
_____	b) Official transcripts (with seals) from all graduate institutions attended whether or not a degree was received.
_____	c) Official transcripts (with seals) from all law schools attended whether or not a degree was received.
_____	d) Certificate of Dean of Law School (Form M21) from all law schools attended whether or not a degree was received.
_____	e) Copy of every bar application filed (refer to Question #26 on the application).
_____	f) Certificate of Good Standing from each court before which you are entitled to practice (refer to Question #27 on the application).
_____	g) Affidavits (Form M13) from two Connecticut attorneys
_____	h) Affidavits (Form M14) from two attorneys admitted to practice in a jurisdiction in which you are currently licensed.
_____	i) Certified copies of your driving history or a no record letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles in every jurisdiction in which you hold a driver's license, any jurisdiction during the past five years in which you have resided for sixty days or more, whether or not you ever held a driver's license or operator's permit in that jurisdiction, and any jurisdiction in which your driving privileges have ever been suspended or revoked.
_____	j) Certificate of Intention (Form M5)
_____	k) Affidavit of good standing (Form M4)
_____	l) Personal Reference Letters (Form M12)
_____	m) Employer Reference Letters (Form M22)
_____	n) Form M6
_____	o) Form M7
_____	p) Form M8
_____	q) Form M9
_____	r) Affidavit of the Dean of Connecticut Law School, if applicable
_____	s) Affidavit(s) of the Dean(s) of other law school(s), if applicable
_____	t) Affidavit(s) of Agency Supervisor(s) or Commanding Officer(s), if applicable

14) Notify the administrative office immediately of any address changes.

15) Individuals admitted to the Connecticut bar without examination are subject to the following:

a. Annual Client Security Fund Fee. Individuals admitted to the Connecticut bar pursuant to Practice Book Section 2-13 shall comply with the requirements of Sections 2-68 and 2-70 of Chapter 2, including payment of the annual client security fund fee. For more information, please contact the Client Security Fund Committee.

b. Annual Attorney Registration. Individuals admitted to the Connecticut bar pursuant to Practice Book Section 2-13 shall register annually with the statewide grievance committee in accordance with Sections 2-26 and 2-27(d) of Chapter 2. For more information, please contact the Statewide Grievance Committee.

c. Attorney Occupational Tax. Individuals admitted to the Connecticut bar pursuant to Practice Book Section 2-13 and who engaged in the practice of law in Connecticut during the preceding calendar year are required to file the Attorney Occupational Tax Return, Form 472, with the State of Connecticut Department of Revenue Services on a yearly basis. See Connecticut General Statutes §51-81b. For more information, please contact the State of Connecticut Department of Revenue Services.

d. Random Audit Rule. Individuals admitted to the Connecticut bar pursuant to Practice Book Section 2-13 are subject to the random audit rule pursuant to Section 2-27(e) of Chapter 2. For more information, please contact the Statewide Grievance Committee.

16) Completing the application for admission without examination is only one step in the admission process and does not automatically entitle the candidate to practice law in Connecticut. The Committee begins the review of a candidate’s character and fitness immediately upon the filing of the application for admission to the bar. However, the Committee will usually only conduct a hearing after the candidate’s file is complete. While the Committee attempts to have all eligible candidates admitted soon after completion of each candidate’s application, a candidate whose application presents complex or unresolved issues of character and/or fitness will not be admitted until such issues have been resolved to the Committee’s satisfaction. More information...

17) Credit Inquiry. As a part of the routine background investigation into each applicant’s character and fitness to practice law in Connecticut, our office will pull a credit profile from Experian. If there are negative items found on the credit report, the applicant will receive a letter along with the pertinent portions of the report with the relevant items highlighted. Applicants who receive such a letter are expected to address each negative item.

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