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Utah Bar Admissions

UTAH STATE BAR Bar Operations & Admissions
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Overview of Application and Admission Process

PROCESS. Below is an overview of the application and admission process. This will help you understand where you are in the process at any time and assist in your communications with the Admissions Office. Steps 9-11 apply only to exam applicants.

Please note that it is not possible to predict a timeframe for the Office of Admissions to completely process an application because much depends on the full compliance of the applicant to supply required and requested documentation, the speed with which references and the law school respond, and the deadline for the next Motion for Admission.

  1. ACCOUNT REGISTRATION. You create an ILG account by clicking “Register” and filling out the registration form.

     

  2. PREPARATION. You read the Rules Governing Admission, use the Browse Forms feature to review the application and character and fitness questionnaire. This will help you begin begin gathering the information you will need to successfully complete the application.

     

  3. APPLICATION REGISTRATION. After logging in to your online account, you select your application type and click “Apply.” A series of questions will seek to confirm your eligibility.

     

  4. SUBMISSION. After completing the application and character & fitness questionnaire, you will be able to submit your application and pay the requisite fee. The application is considered submitted or ‘filed’ on the date you press the ‘Final Submit’ button. 

     

  5. CHARACTER & FITNESS. Within 48 Hours after you submit your application, you will receive an email from the NCBE with instructions to sign a release form and collect their payment. This payment is separate from the application cost. It can take up to 12-weeks to receive a character & fitness report so it is to your advantage to reply to all requests from the NCBE regarding your investigation so it is not delayed. Once your application is accepted, you are expected to update it as necessary until you are admitted. Any changes should be reported within 10 days of occurrence.

     

  6. PROCESSING. The Admissions Office will Process your application and will contact you with a notice of any deficiencies. The NCBE will send a completed character & fitness report to Admissions for review. If any further information is required, you will be notified through your user homepage on the Admissions website. 

     

  7. REVIEW. The Character and Fitness Committee meets to examine the application and the information obtained by the NCBE and any additional information you may have provided.

     

  8. CHARACTER AND FITNESS COMMITTEE ACTION. There are several possible actions the Committee might take regarding an application after Review:
    1. Approval – An approval letter is issued.
    2. Request for Additional Information – You will receive an email detailing the information desired by the Committee; after the Bar receives the requested documentation, your application will be reviewed once again.
    3. Corrective Action Requirement – You will receive notification that the Committee cannot approve the application until you take certain steps.
    4. Interview or Hearing – The Committee may require you to appear in person to answer specific questions and/or to address specific concerns.
    5. Denial – A denial letter or decision is issued detailing the reasons for the denial.

       

  9. PRE-EXAMINATION (Bar Exam applicants only). During this period, you will receive memoranda with details on the examination. You will also receive information on ExamSoft registration for the written portion. The Admissions Office will continue monitoring and investigating each application. If your character and fitness is called into question at any time, your application may be returned to the Character and Fitness Committee for Review and Committee Action.

     

  10. EXAMINATION (Bar Exam applicants only). See this page for general information about the examination.

     

  11. RESULTS (Bar Exam applicants only). Results are sent via email and posted to your online account 8-10 weeks after the Examination. A failing Applicant may apply to sit for the next examination (if she or he still qualifies under Rule 14-711(f)). Please note: The Admissions Office will continue monitoring and investigating your application. If your character and fitness is called into question at any time, the application may be returned to the Committee for Review and Committee Action.

     

  12. PROCESS—MOTION FOR ADMISSION. There are 4 Motions for Admission sent to the Utah Supreme Court each year: February, May, August, and October. Once an applicant has been approved by the Admissions Office, there are still several steps an application must go through before the applicant may take the Attorney Oath.
    1. Admissions finalizes the list of applicants who are eligible for admission (done the month before the next Motion).
    2. The Bar’s Licensing Department then sends an email to applicants on the eligibility list. The email details where and how to pay licensing fees and the deadline by which the fees must be paid. Please check your email spam folder for an email from licensing@utahbar.org (especially if you have a gmail account). If you miss this deadline, then you will need to wait until the next Motion to be admitted.
    3. When the Licensing deadline has past, the list of applicants eligible for admission who have paid their fees is sent to the Bar Commission for their approval.
    4. The Bar Commission then sends over the final Motion for Admission list to the Utah Supreme Court for the Court’s approval.
    5. The Utah Supreme Court signs the Motion for Admission and schedules a date for the Licensing Swearing-In Ceremony for applicants to take the Attorney Oath.

       

  13. TAKE THE ATTORNEY OATH. You cannot practice law until you take and sign the Attorney Oath. Most Applicants complete this at a Licensing Ceremony, but this can be done any time after the Motion for Admission is approved by making arrangements with the Court. The Licensing Ceremony is scheduled by the Utah Supreme Court and not the Utah Bar. Please contact the Court with questions about the date and time of the Licensing Ceremony. If you are not located in Utah, you may arrange to take the oath in your state of residence. You must continue to update your application until you take the Attorney Oath.