District of Columbia Court of Appeals Committee on Admissions 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Room 4200 Washington, DC 20001 (202) 879-2710 E-mail: coa@dcca.state.dc.us Website: www.dccourts.gov INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING AN APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION WITHOUT EXAMINATION UNDER RULE 46 (c) OF THE RULES OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS (1) Application. An application of an applicant seeking admission to this Bar from another state or territory shall be TYPEWRITTEN and submitted on a form approved by the Committee and filed with the Director. The contents of the application shall be confidential except upon order of the court. (2) Fees. The application shall be accompanied by (1) certified check, cashier's check, or money order in the amount of $400 made payable to the Clerk, D.C. Court of Appeals, and (2) a certified check, cashier's check, or money order made payable to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the amount of which shall be specified on the application form. (3) Admission requirements. Any person may, upon proof of good moral character as it relates to the practice of law, be admitted to the Bar of this court without examination, provided that such person: (i) Has been a member in good standing of a Bar of a court of general jurisdiction in any state or territory of the United States for a period of five years immediately preceding the filing of the application; or (ii) (A) Has been awarded a J.D. or LL.B. degree by a law school which, at the time of the awarding of the degree, was approved by the American Bar Association; (B) Has been admitted to the practice of law in any state or territory of the United States upon the successful completion of a written bar examination and has received a scaled score of 133 or more on the Multistate Bar Examination which the state or territory deems to have been taken as a part of such examination; and (C) Has taken and passed -with a scaled score of 75 or more -- the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) given under the auspices of the Multistate Bar Examination Committee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com Read the entire application packet before making any entries. Eligibility for admission without examination will be determined on the basis of the information contained in your application. The fees are non-refundable. Questions about your eligibility for the NCBE's "Practicing Attorney" and "Supplemental" Character Reports must be directed to the NCBE at 608/280-8550. In completing your application, care and attention to the following instructions may forego the possibilities of your application being returned for correction and your missing an applicable filing deadline. An application -- corrected and resubmitted -- is deemed filed as of the date it is accepted by the Director of the Committee on Admissions for processing; an incomplete, deficient application will not be accepted at any time. Processing time may take approximately six months. Processing time may take approximately six months or more. All application materials must be submitted together. This includes the correct filing fees, the completed application, and any supplemental forms. ALL APPLICANTS are required to provide the following items, except where otherwise indicated, regardless of NCBE character report category (see #6 below): 1. FORMAL APPLICATION PAGE (as page 1; a single sheet reflecting the two provisions by which an applicant may be admitted without examination) -Check either Block (i) or Block (ii). Sign and date the page in the spaces provided. The date which appears on the Formal Application Page, the date reflected on the attestation page of the questionnaire portion of the application, and the date of notarization on attestation page and on the Authorization and Release forms must be the same and must be within five days of the date on which your application is received and accepted for processing by the Director of Admissions. 2. Applicants seeking admission under the provisions of Rule 46 (c)(3)(ii) are required to submit the following three items which do not apply to applicants seeking admission pursuant to Rule 46 (c)(3)(i). • LAW SCHOOL CERTIFICATION (as page 2) -- This form is to be executed, under seal, by the Dean, Registrar, or other authorized official of the law school which awarded your J.D. or LL.B. degree. Certifications by an official other than the Dean or Registrar must be supported by a written explanation as to the unavailability of the Dean or Registrar. The Law School Certification form must accompany the application. Do not have the law school forward the certification to the Committee on Admissions. Where it is the school's policy not to release the certification to the student/applicant, the law school should provide you with the certification in a sealed envelope to be attached to your application. • MBE RELEASE FORM (as page 3) -- Execute the top half of this form and, if required, append the transfer fee or proof of payment. Do not send the form to the examining authority. An applicant must be admitted in the jurisdiction where he was successful in the bar examination, having achieved an MBE scaled score of 133 or greater on the MBE test taken as part of the examination on which the applicant was deemed successful and admitted in the jurisdiction. Make sure that your name appears on the MBE Release Form as it was reflected in the jurisdiction where you physically sat for the MBE test. 2 American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com • MPRE SCORE REPORT (as page 4) -- Attach the original or a copy of the notice sent to you by the NCBE. An applicant must have the 75 scaled score on the MPRE at the time the application is filed. There is no time restriction on the use of an MPRE score. When you took the MPRE, you may have requested that this jurisdiction be notified of your score. That notice (via computer print-out by test date) is insufficient. You must either use the MPRE Score Report sent to you or obtain another copy of it. Your application must contain your MPRE Score Report at the time it is accepted for filing by the Committee to verify that you have met the admission eligibility requirements. If it is necessary for you to obtain another copy of the score report for inclusion with this application, you should contact the National Conference of Bar Examiners, MPRE Records Department, P.O. Box 451, Iowa City, Iowa, 52243; telephone 319/337-1304. 3. CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING -- All applicants must submit current original certificates of good standing from the highest state court in each jurisdiction, not from the state bar or attorney grievance office, where admitted. Generally, the Clerk of your state's Supreme Court prepares the certificate for a nominal fee. A certificate of good standing is considered current if it has been issued within 60 days of the date on which your application is accepted for processing. If you are not a member of your state's Supreme Court, provide an explanation and submit the comparable certificate reflecting your good standing with the bar. Certificate(s) of good standing must accompany the application; do not have jurisdictions forward certificates to the Committee on Admissions. 4. APPLICATION (QUESTIONNAIRE) -- Must, pursuant to court rule, be typewritten. Where a YES or NO answer is required, you may check by hand in ink the appropriate box. Answer all the questions to the best of your ability and comply with the instructions contained in the application. If not applicable, indicate N/A. • QUESTION 7 –- Employment/non-employment. time period (no gaps) since age 21. Account for the entire • QUESTIONS 21 and 22 –- Include, either as an adult or a juvenile, any violation of any law. • QUESTIONS 23 and 24 –- If you answered “Yes” to either of these questions, you must submit along with your application a current (dated within the past 60 days) credit report from one of the three major credit reporting agencies. • Blank Forms -- Complete a form only after you have answered the question which relates to that form. You may have to make copies of some forms, particularly Form 6/Debts: Defaults; Past Due; Revocations. Accordingly, do not mark on a form until you have made the requisite number of copies. Non-applicable forms may be discarded. 5. ATTESTATION PAGE & AUTHORIZATION AND RELEASE FORMS: Sign where indicated and have all forms NOTARIZED with a current date within five (5) days of the date on which you submit or resubmit the application. You must submit 3 original and notarized Authorization and Release Forms. 6. REQUEST FOR PREPARATION OF A CHARACTER REPORT FORM. The National Conference of Bar Examiners prepares the confidential character report for this jurisdiction. Check the applicable box and attach the required fee. Any questions about your eligibility for a particular report must be directed to the NCBE in Wisconsin, 608/280-8550. All applicants must submit a complete, current, original application/questionnaire form (see #4 above). 3 American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com 7. FEES -- Pursuant to court rule, the fees must be in the form of CERTIFIED CHECK, CASHIER'S CHECK, or MONEY ORDER: $400 payable to "Clerk, D.C. Court of Appeals" for the application filing fee and the appropriate fee payable to "National Conference of Bar Examiners" for the character investigation. If applicable, include the MBE scaled score transfer fee. You may not combine the character report fee and the MBE transfer fee in one check. Use one STAPLE or a heavy black BINDER CLIP to keep together all application papers and the fees. Before tendering your application for filing with the Director of Admissions, please review your responses to insure that you have answered all questions and have included the required documentation. After the application has been filed, it is your obligation to inform the Committee by letter of any changes in address, employment, circumstances, etc. The application should be mailed or delivered to: Committee on Admissions District of Columbia Court of Appeals 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Room 4200 Washington, DC 20001 Office Hours: Telephone: E-mail: Website: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (202) 879-2710 coa@dcca.state.dc.us www.dccourts.gov Initial receipt of an application will not be acknowledged. The application may be delivered or sent to the Committee on Admissions via postal service or any other carrier. You may enclose a self-addressed, postage-paid postcard which will be returned to you or you may bring an extra copy of the entire application for "received" stamping. After your application has been filed and accepted for processing, you will receive a letter of acknowledgment from the Director of Admissions. No applicant shall be certified for admission by the members of the Committee on Admissions until the applicant demonstrates good moral character and general fitness to practice law in the District of Columbia. After the Committee completes the character and fitness study, you will receive a letter of certification from the Director of Admissions or you may receive a letter requesting additional information. Pursuant to court rule, you will have 90 days from the date of certification within which to appear to be administered the oath of admission and to sign the roll of attorneys. The oath is administered formally before a panel of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals monthly on specific calendar dates. You will be provided with a choice of two court dates and, where applicable, with alternate instructions. 4 American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com FORMAL APPLICATION of ______________________________________ for admission to the Bar of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. THE HONORABLE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS: The undersigned hereby makes application for admission to the Bar of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals pursuant to D.C. App. Rule 46 (c)(3) pursuant to the provision identified below: ___ (i) I have been a member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory of the United States for a period of five years immediately preceding the date of this application; or ___ (ii) (A) I have been awarded a J.D. or LL.B. degree by a law school which, at the time of the awarding of the degree, was approved by the American Bar Association; (B) I have been admitted to the practice of law in a state or territory of the United States as a result of successful completion of a written bar examination on which I received a scaled score of 133 or more on the Multistate Bar Examination; and (C) I have taken and passed with a scaled score of 75 or more the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination given under the auspices of the Multistate Bar Examination Committee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. _____________ Date ________________________________________ Signature of Applicant American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS COMMITTEE ON ADMISSIONS Application of ____________________________________________ for Admission to the Bar of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals LAW SCHOOL CERTIFICATION I, ______________________________, of _______________________________ which Registrar/Dean Law School was approved by the American Bar Association on _______________, certify Date that the above-named student entered this school as a student of law on _______________ and continued as a student until _______________, having Date Date successfully completed ___________semester or term hours of study. During this period, the student took the courses prescribed for the degree of _________________, and on ____________, having met the scholarship Date requirements, was awarded the degree. The student’s record ____ DOES or ____ DOES NOT reflect any Honor Code violations or disciplinary matters. If it does reflect a matter which should be brought to the attention of the Committee on Admissions, please explain fully. _____________________ Today’s Date ____________________________________ Registrar/Dean’s Signature Seal: THIS FORM MUST ACCOMPANY THE APPLICATION American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com NOTE: ONLY FOR APPLICANTS TRANSFERRING MBE SCORES DO NOT forward this form to the MBE examining jurisdiction. It must accompany your application for processing. (The applicant must execute only the top half of this form.) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS Committee on Admissions 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Room 4200 Washington, DC 20001 MBE SCALED SCORE RELEASE FORM NAME: DOB: (as it appears in the jurisdiction where MBE was administered) I hereby authorize the SSN: , (Date of Birth) Board of Bar Examiners and /or the National Conference of Bar (Testing Jurisdiction) Examiners to release to the Committee on Admissions of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals the scaled score I G February attained on the Multistate Bar Examination administered in G July / . (month) (year) Applicant’s Signature MBE TRANSFER FEES Applicants transferring an MBE score from ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, FLORIDA, GUAM, HAWAII, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MARYLAND, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VIRGIN ISLANDS, WISCONSIN OR WYOMING, must include a $25 money order payable to “National Conference of Bar Examiners.” ARKANSAS requires a $25 cashier’s check or money order payable to “Arkansas Board of Law Examiners.” IOWA requires a $5 check or money order payable to “Supreme Court Clerk.” MAINE requires a $25 cashier’s check, treasurer’s check or money order payable to “Maine Board of Bar Examiners.” MASSACHUSETTS requires a $25 cashier’s check or money order payable to “Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” MISSISSIPPI requires a $25 cashier’s check or money order payable to “Mississippi Board of Bar Examiners.” NEBRASKA requires a $25 check payable to “Nebraska State Bar Commission.” NEVADA requires a $12.50 check or money order payable to “State Bar of Nevada.” NEW MEXICO requires a $20 check payable to “NM Board of Bar Examiners.” NORTH CAROLINA requires a $25 check or money order payable to “NC Board of Law Examiners.” OHIO requires a $15 check or money order payable to “Clerk, Supreme Court of Ohio.” OREGON requires a $25 fee payable to “Oregon State Bar.” PENNSYLVANIA requires a $30 certified check or money order payable to “PA Board of Law Examiners.” RHODE ISLAND requires a $25 check payable to “Supreme Court.” TEXAS requires a $25 check payable to “Board of Law Examiners.” VIRGINIA requires a $40 cashiers check, certified check or money order payable to “Virginia Board of Bar Examiners.” WEST VIRGINIA requires a $50 check payable to “West Virginia Board of Law Examiners.” CERTIFICATION OF MBE SCALED SCORE (To be completed by Certifying Official in Jurisdiction) The applicant attained a SCALED SCORE of in (Jurisdiction) on the Multistate Bar Examination administered in G February G July / ( month) . This form is being transmitted directly to the (year) Committee on Admissions by the jurisdiction on . (date) Certifying Official’s Signature Title Revised 10-2007 American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com