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.

Important Regulation Changes– Effective November 22, 2021 - PDF

Attorney Links

Admission Requirements
Applications and Forms - Download related forms from list below - (fillable PDF forms)
General Instructions & Checklist

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) Juris Doctor or equivalent law degree from an ABA or Committee approved law school (Rule 2-13(a)), or a Committee approved foreign legal education pursuant to Art. II-3 of the CBEC Regulations.

2) Good moral character, fit to practice law and in good standing in each jurisdiction in which admitted (Rule 2-13(a)(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 13 (List of Reciprocal Jurisdictions) OR is a full-time faculty member or full-time clinical fellow at an accredited Connecticut law school and admitted in a reciprocal or non-reciprocal jurisdiction

4) Duly licensed to practice law and lawfully engaged in the practice of law as principal means of livelihood for at least five of the last ten years immediately preceding filing for admission in Connecticut (Rule 2-13(a)(2))*

5) Applicants with no history of attorney discipline or ineligibility in any jurisdiction in which he or she is licensed or has been licensed, do not have to satisfy the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) requirement. Applicants will have to submit proof that he or she does not have any history of discipline or ineligibility in every jurisdiction where he or she is licensed or has been licensed.

Applicants with any history of attorney discipline or ineligibility will have to submit proof of a 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. For those applicants, except those who are full-time faculty members or full-time clinical fellows at an accredited Connecticut 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(a)(1); Art. IV CBEC Regulations).

6) Per Section 2-13(b), the “practice of law” shall include the following activities, if performed after the date of the applicant’s admission to the jurisdiction in which the activities were performed or if performed in a jurisdiction that permits such activity by a lawyer not admitted to practice:

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;

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;

service as authorized house counsel;

service as authorized house counsel in Connecticut before July 1, 2008 or while certified pursuant to Section 2-15A; 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).

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Application and Forms

To be considered filed you must complete and file all of the following:

Print Check-off Lists Only -- Download forms from list below.

Check	Form Number and Title
[ ]	Form M1 - Application
[ ]	Form M6 - Summary sheet
[ ]	Form M7 - Return address labels
[ ]	Form M9 - Status Sheet
[ ]	Form M21 - Application Forms Filing Checklist
[ ]	$1800.00 certified check or money order (the Bar Examining Committee does not accept credit cards, personal, company or law firm checks)

The following forms and any supporting documentation may be submitted with the application or within 1 year of the initial filing date:

Check	Form Number and Title
[ ]	Form M4 – Affidavit of good standing
[ ]	Form M8 – Certificate of Actual Practice

Retain a copy of everything you file with the Committee.

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 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, & M20	Instruc.
Form M12 – Personal reference letter	M12
Form M13 - Affidavit of Connecticut attorney	M13
Form M14 - Affidavit of attorney admitted for at least five years	M14
Form M15 – Affidavit of dean of an accredited CT law school at which you are a full-time faculty member or a full-time clinical fellow	M15
Form M19 - Certificate of dean of law school	M19
Form M20 - Employer reference letter	M20
Form M20A - Employment-continuation page	M20A
Form M21 - Application Forms Filing Checklist	M21
Form M31 – Military Service	M31
Form M50A - Driving Records-continuation page	M50A
Form M99 - Authorization to Release Medical Records	M99

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General Instructions and Checklist

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

Connecticut Bar Examining Committee
Motion Application Department
100 Washington Street,1^stFloor
Hartford, Connecticut 06106-4411

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

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

4) 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.

5) 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 M19) from all law schools attended whether or not a degree was received.

_____ e) Copy of every bar application filed within the last ten years (refer to Question #24 on the application).

_____ f) Certificate of Good Standing from each court before which you are entitled to practice (refer to Question #25 on the application).

_____ g) Affidavits (Form M13) from two Connecticut attorneys

_____ h) Affidavits (Form M14) from two attorneys admitted to practice in another jurisdiction for at least five years.

_____ 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) Affidavit of good standing (Form M4)

_____ k) Personal Reference Letters (Form M12)

_____ l) Employer Reference Letters (Form M20)

_____ m) Summary sheet (Form M6)

_____ n) Return address labels (Form M7)

_____ o) Certificate of actual practice (Form M8)

_____ p) Status sheet (Form M9)

_____ q) Affidavit of the Dean of Connecticut Law School (Form M15), if applicable

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

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

a. Minimum Continuing Legal Education. Individuals admitted to the Connecticut bar pursuant to Practice Book Section 2-13 shall comply with the requirements of Section 2-27A of Chapter 2 beginning January 1, 2017. For more information, please contact the Commission on Minimum Continuing Legal Education.

b. 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.

c. 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.

d. 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.

e. 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.

8) 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...

9) 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.

10) NCBE Number. The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) requires the creation of an NCBE account by those wishing to use its services. Connecticut does not currently require applicants to obtain an NCBE number. However, if an applicant has an NCBE number they are encouraged to include it in Question 4b of his or her application as an additional identifier for the MBE and/or the MPRE. More information, including how to obtain or retrieve an NCBE number, can be found here: http://ncbex.org/.

11) Connecticut and Federal Background Checks. The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee (CBEC) will conduct an extensive background check for all applicants and reserves the right to require applicants to submit fingerprints. Should CBEC require that an applicant submit fingerprints, a fingerprint card and instructions will be mailed to that applicant so that a Connecticut and Federal background check can be requested. Background checks received from applicants will NOT be accepted The following documents will be sent to applicants who are required to submit fingerprints and should be reviewed prior to submitting your fingerprints and fees to CBEC.

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