There are 3 primary options for admission to practice law in Arizona: 1) admission by Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), testing in Arizona; 2) admission by UBE Transfer, transfer of score earned in another jurisdiction; 3) Admission on Motion; 4) admission through the Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program.

You may be eligible for these programs if you meet the requirements below as well as other requirements established by rule:

1. Admission by UBE, testing in Arizona:
   • You graduated with J.D. degree from an ABA accredited law school OR
   • You are expected to graduate with a J.D. degree within 120 days of the first day of the exam as an early tester (as certified by your law school)
   • You achieve a minimum UBE score of 270 effective beginning with the July 2023 test administration.
   
   
2. Admission by UBE Transfer, transfer of UBE score earned in another jurisdiction:
   • You graduated with J.D. degree from an ABA accredited law school
   • On a UBE in a recognized UBE test administration within the prior five years you achieved a minimum score of 273 prior to the July 2023 test administration or a minimum score of 270 effective beginning with the July 2023 test administration.
   
   
3. Admission on Motion:
   • You graduated with J.D. degree from an ABA accredited law school
   • You have actively practiced law in the United States for three of the prior five years
   • You were admitted by bar examination in another US state or territory. NOTE: In connection with the three-year bar examination lookback provision in Ariz. R. Sup. Ct 34(f)(4) you must have achieved a minimum score of 273 prior to the July 2023 test administration or must have achieved a minimum score of 270 effective beginning with the July 2023 test administration to be eligible for admission in Arizona.
   • Active practice may occur wholly or partially in a non-reciprocal jurisdiction after admission in reciprocal jurisdiction
   • If admitted by bar exam in a non-reciprocal jurisdiction, active practice must have occurred wholly in reciprocal jurisdictions.

    4. Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program:

Applicants who score 260-269 on the Uniform Bar Examination and meet other Arizona Attorney Admission requirements may practice law in Rural Arizona or in a public law firm under the supervision of a qualified Arizona licensed lawyer for a period of two years. Additional Information can be viewed here: www.azcourts.gov/cld/Arizona-Lawyer-Apprentice-Program

The above information is not a complete list of all requirements but is meant to provide a quick reference. Please refer to Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 34-37 for all requirements and rules including passage of Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) and completion of the online Course on Arizona Law.

Other Applications

In-house Counsel:

Pro Hac Vice:

Limited Practice Law Students and Graduates:

*Please refer to Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 38-39 for more information on limited practice methods including law professor, military spouse and in-house counsel.

Administrative Order 2023-159 establishing UBE and MPRE minimum score requirements.

For registration go to https://www.azcourts.gov/educationservices/Committees/JCA/Online-Registration. You will create user information which allows you to revisit the site until all modules are complete, so be sure to remember or record your user information until the course is completed. Once finished with all modules and survey, your completion is electronically transmitted to necessary parties. You do not need to submit documentary proof of completion.

The online application is a convenient way to submit an application allowing our staff to begin processing your application quickly. All documents must be uploaded to your online application at the time of filing. Any additional documents needed will be uploaded as additional documentation. Documents received on behalf of individuals who have no pending application will be returned.

Exam application: Arizona Supreme Court Rule 34(e)(2) states the application for admission and all of the documents required to be submitted by the Arizona uniform bar examination application must be timely submitted, with required fess, in accordance with the schedule and filing fees established by the Court. No application, documents or fees will be accepted after the close of the applicable filing deadline.

Fees are set by Ariz. Sup. Ct. Admin. Order No. 2024-78 and are not discretionary. There are no hardship allowances.

The required fingerprint card is a standard FBI card, printed on heavy card stock, and is available from many law enforcement agencies. A card can be supplied to an applicant upon request at no cost. Email attorneyadmissions@courts.az.gov to request a fingerprint card be mailed to you; include your mailing address with your request.

The minimum passing score is 85, see Administrative Order 2023-159. See Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 35(b)(8) for specific time frames for UBE and UBE Transfer applicants.

The Committee makes every effort to complete all investigations within four months after receipt of a complete application. Issues that could result in a longer time frame include, but are not limited to an incomplete application, a need to request additional documentation related to a matter that requires further investigation pursuant to Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 36, or a hearing. There are things you can do to speed the process:

1. Submit a complete application. If in doubt about a question/incident, please disclose and explain fully within in the application or attachments.
2. Fully comply with all requests for information and documentation.
3. Contact the people provided as references to alert them we will contact them initially by email; ask them to respond promptly.

For exam applicants: If you file a Character and Fitness application prior to the exam administration date, our office endeavors to complete the investigation and provide you with your admission status (either eligible for admission or requires further investigation) at the time of score release. For example, if you file your CF application prior to February exam, you should know your status in mid-May and if you file your CF application prior to the July exam, you should know your status in mid- October.

Please review the requirements found in the Rules. They may be found on our website under Rules for Admission. If you wish to pursue admission but do not meet the requirements, you must apply through the normal process (including attachments and fees) but your application will be rejected for failure to meet the Rules. You will be mailed a letter by the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness explaining the denial and decision; the postmark on that letter triggers, pursuant to Rule 36(h), a window of 20 days in which you may choose to petition the Supreme Court to recognize your specific facts as an exception to the applicable Supreme Court Rule. If you choose to petition the Court, your filings must be made directly with the Clerk of the Supreme Court and cannot be made through Attorney Admissions. You are required to serve Attorney Admissions with a copy of your petition on the date of filing with the Clerk, should you choose to petition. The Committee on Character and Fitness has 30 days to respond to your petition and then the Clerk of the Court will set the matter on an agenda for the Court to consider.

After the Committee on Character and Fitness concludes its review of an application and determines an applicant satisfies admission standards, the Committee recommends the applicant to the practice of law and for membership to the State Bar of Arizona. The Arizona Supreme Court's Attorney Admissions office will provide the applicant with the Admission to the Practice of Law Form and the State Bar of Arizona Certificate of Compliance Form through your portal.

Admission Form: The Admission Form requires information for the Clerk's office to complete the Certificate of Admission. The Admission Form also includes the Oath of Admission ("Oath"). Both the applicant and the person administering the Oath (e.g., notary, judge, or clerk) must sign the form. The Admission Form is two pages, both of which must be completed. After the original documents is received by the Attorney Admissions office, the Admission Form will be reviewed and forwarded to the Clerk's office for processing. The Clerk's office will issue a Certificate of Admission within approximately two weeks. Note: the date of the Oath is not the date of admission. The Clerk's office will enter the applicant's name onto the Court's roll of attorneys, and the date of that action will be the date of admission reflected on the Certificate of Admission. An applicant is not entitled to practice law in Arizona until the Certificate of Admission is issued by the Clerk's office. In addition to being admitted by mail, if the applicant elects within the Admission Form to participate in a ceremonial appearance before the Arizona Supreme Court, the Clerk's office will contact the applicant for scheduling. Direct questions regarding the Certificate of Admission or ceremonial appearance to the Clerk's office at 602-452-3396.

State Bar of Arizona Certificate of Compliance Form: The State Bar of Arizona's Certificate of Compliance Form must also be completed, and the original document returned to the Arizona Supreme Court's Attorney Admissions office. The fees due with the Certificate of Compliance include the State Bar Membership dues, State Bar Client Protection Fund dues, and the Supreme Court Admission Fee. Fees are to be made payable to the "Supreme Court of Arizona." Payments will be processed immediately and cannot be held, regardless of request. After the Clerk's office notifies the State Bar of admission, the State Bar will mail a membership card to the applicant. Direct questions regarding State Bar of Arizona membership or the membership card to the State Bar of Arizona Membership Records department at 602-340-7239.

Return the originals of both the Admission Form and the State Bar of Arizona Certificate of Compliance Form to:

Committee on Character and Fitness
Arizona Supreme Court
1501 W. Washington St., Suite 104
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Email attorneyadmissions@courts.az.gov with your request and include name as it was at the time of application and date of when the fees were paid.

Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 37(c), records are confidential and may be released only to the applicant. Application records are retained for a period of up to seven years. If you need a copy of previously-submitted materials, please email attorneyadmissions@courts.az.gov with the following information: name as it was at the time of your application, current name (if different), date of birth, and the date (month/year) of the most recent exam applied for. If the record is available, a fee of $30 must be paid by check or money order payable to Arizona Supreme Court. Do not send payment until our office confirms with you that the record is available. If you need the information for another jurisdiction and the records are no longer available, we can send a letter to the jurisdiction at no cost.

Your uploaded photo must meet the following requirements:

• Full face view, directly facing the camera, with a neutral expression and both eyes open.
• Color photo.
• Photo must show only you in front of a plain white background.
• Have uniform lighting - the photo must not show shadows or shadowing of facial features.
• Glasses are permitted; however, glare in the photo is not acceptable (glare can be avoided with a slight downward tilt of the glasses or by turning off the flash).
• No hat or head covering unless worn for religious purposes.
• 300 x 300 square once uploaded.
  
• Photo file type must be a .png, .jpg, or .jpeg
• Taken within the past 6 months to reflect your current appearance.

If your photo is over 12 months old or your appearance has changed, you are required to upload a new photo that reflects your current appearance. To do so, you can use the “Upload Photo” button in the UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO box on your user homepage.

All applicants must upload a photo.

After your application has been received and is being processed, you will be notified through your portal if there is any supporting documentation missing or if your answers to any questions are incomplete. The additional information should be furnished to the Committee immediately as the Committee will take no action on incomplete applications. Under Administrative Order No. 2024-78 a Document Deficiency Fee in the amount of $100 is assessed if required supporting documents are not filed with the application (except the evidence of graduation for those who have not yet graduated). See the Bar Exam Cycle Calendar on the Admission by Bar Examination General Information page.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit a complete and accurate application well in advance of the filing deadline to allow for sufficient time to review the application, advise the applicant of any deficiencies, and provide an opportunity for the applicant to address them before the deadline. Applications submitted too close to the filing deadline that do not allow for sufficient time for review, deficiency notification, and time to cure will be subject to withdrawal.

You will be notified of your status once your application is processed. In the weeks surrounding deadlines, we receive hundreds of applications per day that are processed in the order received. We will not pull an application out of order for processing or to comment on certification. You will receive a certification status within one month prior to the examination.

Each exam is closed out and enrollment and payment do not "roll over”. Under Administrative Order No. 2024-78, applicants may request a $50 partial refund of fees if the exam application is withdrawn by the filing deadline. If you wish to withdraw and receive a partial refund of $50.00, please submit an email, to attorneyadmissions@courts.az.gov or a message through your portal indicating your intent to withdraw.

Partial Refund Request Deadlines:

If you wish to withdraw from the July examination and receive a partial refund of $50.00, the withdrawal letter must be submitted by April 30th.

If you wish to withdraw from the February examination and receive a partial refund of $50.00, the withdrawal letter must be submitted by November 30th.

Accommodation forms are available online. In addition to the required forms, it is your responsibility to submit additional information you wish the Committee to consider, such as academic or medical history. The Committee on Examinations will provide reasonable non-standard testing as necessary and will issue decisions approximately four weeks prior to examination.

First time requests: Each examination administration requires that an applicant submit a new first request and supporting documentation. Applicant request is specific to each examination administration and does not carry forward unless the Committee provides other direction in their decision letter to the applicant.

Applicants with disabilities have the responsibility to meet the same deadline for application as individuals without disabilities. As some of the forms require input from third parties, it is suggested that you request the appropriate individuals complete the forms well in advance of the application filing deadline.

Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 35(c)(3) requires everyone taking and failing after exam six exam attempts (withdrawing mid- exam counts as a failure) to request permission from the Committee on Examinations before testing again. This permission is required each successive attempt after the sixth attempt. Please see form for requesting permission to write. Please see Rule 35(c)(3) for the information required and include this information with your permission to write request form.

Arizona uses a third-party software vendor for the essay portion of the examination. Payment for the software is paid directly to the vendor during laptop registration. DO NOT send payment to the Supreme Court. An email notification from the vendor will be sent when laptop registration opens.

February Exam: Laptop registration opens January 15th; closes January 31st.

July Exam: Laptop registration opens June 15th; closes June 30th.

The deadlines will not be extended for any reason. It is your responsibility to ensure that emails from ILG Exam360® and the Arizona Supreme Court Attorney Admissions are not filtered as spam and to add @arizona.ilgexam360.com and azbaradmissions.org to your email address book.

No. Every applicant must take the entire examination (MBE, MEE and MPT) in Arizona. As a UBE, the test must be completed in one test administration.

Any subject matter listed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) may be tested. For information about the MPT, MEE and MBE please go to NCBE website at http://www.ncbex.org./ Arizona law is not tested.

Once certified to sit, you will receive a list of items allowed and items prohibited. Please pay close attention to the Instructions and Information document you will receive electronically for more details about the exam site, schedule and procedures. If you attempt to bring prohibited items into the test site, you will be delayed or excluded from testing. See the Code of Conduct for examination.

Earplugs and tissue are available during each session.

Scratch paper and pens are provided during the MEE and MPT sessions.

Pencils are provided during the MBE sessions.

Prior to July 2023: Out of a possible 400 points, a total of 273 points are required for admission in Arizona.
July 2023 and forward: Out of a possible 400 points, a total of 270 points are required for admission in Arizona. See Administrative Order 2023-159.

Scores from the February exam are scheduled to be released on or before the second Friday in May. Scores from the July exam are scheduled to be released on or before the second Friday in October. Scores will not be released over the phone, by email or by fax. The names of successful applicants will be posted to the Attorney Admissions and Supreme Court website on the date of score release, the same day results letters are posted.

Every applicant who receives a score below 270 on the exam will receive instructions for making application to the next successive examination online and has approximately 2 weeks after score release to apply for the next exam, even if general applications have closed.

No. You must submit a bar exam application first and then submit your Character and Fitness Application.

Pursuant to Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 37(a)(1), “Failure to take the oath of admission and be admitted to the practice of law in Arizona within five years of successful Arizona uniform bar examination will void all examination scores, and the applicant will be required to successfully retake all required examinations and comply with the required procedures relating to Character and Fitness determinations.” Therefore, you have five years to complete the entire process including passing the bar examination, completing the Character and Fitness Application and investigation, providing a passing score on the MPRE (scaled score of 85 or higher), completing the Course on Arizona Law, and taking the oath of admission. Please note the five years is from the month and year of the examination you passed, not from the date results are released.

Pursuant to Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 34(b)(3), “The Committee on Character and Fitness shall endeavor to complete its inquiries, some or all of which may be delegated to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, to be in position to recommend for or against a successful Arizona uniform bar examinee’s admission to the practice of law no later than the time the results of the Arizona uniform bar examination are available for examination applicants. This time limitation is aspirational only and may be extended for further inquiry and formulation of a recommendation when the circumstances of a case so require.”

Much depends on the full compliance of the applicant to supply required/requested documentation and the speed with which references respond. Speed depends upon facts uncovered in the investigation. There are things you can do to speed the process:

1. Submit a complete Application and fully comply with all requests for information and documentation; if in doubt about a question or incident, please disclose and explain fully within the application or attachments.
2. Contact the people provided as references to alert them we will contact them initially by mail; ask them to return the reference form as soon as possible.
3. Respond quickly to all inquiries or requests for more information; and
4. Ensure you have completed the MPRE and the Course on Arizona Law.

Please allow a minimum of four months for the investigation to be completed and know that if the Committee requires additional information, you will be contacted. After that time, you may call Committee staff at (602) 452-3971 and request a status. Please note Character and Fitness status will only be released if an applicant has passed the bar examination. Please also keep in mind all Applications are confidential and staff cannot speak with or answer questions from anyone but the applicant unless written authorization has been received.

You may complete the Course on Arizona Law at your convenience; however, a final determination on admission cannot be made until the course has been completed.

For technical problems viewing or questions related to completion of the Course on Arizona Law, please email DLStaff@courts.az.gov.

You are not required to pass the MPRE before submitting your Character and Fitness Application; however, a final determination on admission cannot be made until a scaled score of 85 or higher has been received. Pursuant to Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 35(b)(8), the minimum acceptable score must be received within eight (8) years of the successful bar examination or within the time frame for taking the oath of admission after the successful bar examination.

You must disclose licenses such as, but not limited to, teacher, pilot, accountant, engineer, contractor, patent agent, insurance agent/broker, real estate, notary, legal document preparer, etc.

Please refer to the Character and Fitness Application checklist.

If you cannot obtain all required supporting documents, provide the steps you took to try to obtain them including the name, title, and phone number of the person you spoke with at any court or police agency to try to get the records. If possible, get documentation stating the records are not available.

Without being able to review an entire Character and Fitness Application, it cannot be determined whether criminal history will cause the Committee to deny admission. Please read Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 36 to understand the qualifications required of an applicant. If an applicant’s criminal history rises to the level of requiring an Informal Inquiry or Hearing, the applicant will have the opportunity to prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that he or she has the requisite character to be admitted to practice law in Arizona.

The Committee understands exact dates may be difficult to obtain. Please enter dates as close as possible, and then, in the “Reason for Leaving” box, indicate that the dates are estimated. You may also contact the Social Security Administration (ssa.gov) for a report of your earnings history, which will give you the names of your employers and the year(s) you worked there.

You will need to provide a verifying reference who can affirm that employment. Enter the name of your verifying reference and provide that person’s contact information rather than the name of the employer or your own name. In the employment description box, you can enter the name of the company you worked for or explain you are/were self-employed and the nature of the employment.

You will need to provide certified driving records from every state where you have been licensed to drive in the past ten years. The driving records can be obtained from the department, usually a motor vehicle department, that issues driver licenses in each state and must be less than 90 days old at the time you submit your Character and Fitness Application.

Not all traffic citations will appear on your driving record(s). It is your responsibility to contact local or regional law enforcement to obtain information regarding the citations. The Traffic Cases History form does not ask or require supporting documents and you may provide a timeframe rather than an exact date. The Committee is looking for the date or timeframe, the type of infraction, the location, and the disposition.

No. You need only disclose any credit cards that have been revoked, any debts that are 90 days or more past due, and any debts on which you have defaulted or have not been resolved. The Committee will run a credit report during its investigation.

If your credit is frozen at the time Committee staff tries to run a credit report, you will be contacted and asked to lift the freeze. Once the credit report has been obtained, you will be notified so you can reinstate the freeze.

You can update your employment by logging into your account and selecting 'Amend Application' under your current application.

Select your name in the upper right corner, and from the dropdown select "Edit Personal Info"

Pursuant to Ariz. R. Sup. Ct. 37(c), records are confidential and may be released only to the applicant. Application records are retained for a period of up to seven (7) years. If you need a copy of a previously submitted Character and Fitness Application and/or supporting documentation you provided with your Application, please submit a request to attorneyadmissions@courts.az.gov with the following: your name as it was at the time of your application, your current name (if different), date of birth, the date (month/year) of the most recent exam applied for, and a check or money order in the amount of $30 payable to the Arizona Supreme Court. If you need the information for another jurisdiction and the records are no longer available, a letter can be sent to the jurisdiction at no cost.