Bar Admission

In order to work as a lawyer, you must become admitted to practice law in the jurisdiction in which you plan to work. Each state's highest court sets the requirements for admission to practice law. Requirements and application deadlines vary from state to state. So, we encourage you to check the information for the state(s) in which you are interested as soon as possible.

• Learn about success strategies for the bar exam.
• Review the application requirements for the state in which you plan to practice. See below for information on where to look for state application requirements.
• Review these Getting Certified to Take the Colorado Bar FAQs for help on the certification process.
• Attend CDO’s informational programs.
• Educate yourself about bar exam review courses.
• Think about how to plan for the expense of taking the bar exam.
• Review this timeline to ensure you are completing the admission requirements in a timely manner.

Admission to Practice Law in Colorado

For the most complete and up-to-date information about admission requirements and the application process, visit the Colorado Supreme Court website. You should review all the information on that site, particularly the information about character and fitness. The below checklist is provided for your convenience only.

To obtain a license to practice law in Colorado, you must:

• Complete your graduation requirements.
• Take the Practicing with Professionalism Course offered by the Colorado Bar Association.
• Pass the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) with a scaled score of at least 85.
• Pass Colorado's Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) with a scaled score of at least 276.
• Meet the character and fitness requirements set forth by the Colorado Office of Attorney Admissions.
• Submit a complete application for admission. We recommend you begin your application no later than January 1 for the July exam, and no later than September 1 for the February exam. Extensive personal histories and official records need to be compiled in order to complete the application; this information can take weeks to months to gather. A few notes on the application process:
  • When you apply for bar admission, the Office of Attorney Admissions will request a certificate of graduation and a copy of your law school application. The Law School will complete this on your behalf ifyou authorize us to do so.
    • To provide your authorization, if you are a current student or still have access to your CU IdentiKey and password, submit this authorization form to the Law School. (If you have trouble accessing the form, first sign out of any google accounts you are signed into, then re-click on the link, then enter your IdentiKey user name and password.)
    • If you are a graduate without access to a CU IdentiKey and password you can either email this form to lawreg@colorado.edu from your @colorado.edu email address or turn in a hard copy to the FORMS box outside the Registrar's office.

    Admission to Practice Law in Other States

    Each state maintains its own rules and regulations regarding the licensing of attorneys and has its own bar examination. The ABA provides a Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements, which contains a synopsis of each state’s bar admission requirements and relevant dates. We encourage you to look into these requirements and dates as soon as possible during your third year, as some of the requirements can take some time to complete (e.g., pro bono hours).

    BarExamDirectory.com is a free website that contains the bar exam information for all U.S. jurisdictions and presents it in any easy-to-use format to help you quickly and easily navigate the bar exam application process. This website includes deadlines, subjects tested, exam format, scoring, contact information, reciprocity, and more. However, you should always refer to the state’s office of attorney admissions website as the information can change at any time.