ShareCommittee on Admissions
The Committee on Admissions reviews all applications for admission to the District of Columbia Bar. See DC App. Rule 46. The Committee receives more than 3,500 applications per year, conducts extensive character and fitness investigations including informal meetings and formal hearings, and files recommendations with the court regarding applications or petitions.
IMPORTANT NOTICES
7/1/2020 Fall Bar Exam Application FAQs (PDF)
6/25/2020 October 2020 Bar Exam Application Instructions (PDF)
6/10/2020 For the Court's June 10 Order on the October remote DC Bar Exam, click here.
6/8/2020 In light of continued pandemic conditions, recently released recommendations for reopening the District, and the overwhelming demand for seats for the DC Bar Exam, the Court of Appeals has decided to administer a remote DC Bar Exam with questions prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. This remote exam will be administered on October 5th and 6th and will test the same topics as the Uniform Bar Examination. The ongoing precautions due to the pandemic, space limitations, logistical challenges of social distancing in locations where hundreds of law school graduates would be taking the exam, and continuing health concerns made an in-person exam untenable. Accordingly, we have decided to offer this exam in lieu of the September Uniform Bar Examination. Per the Court's order last month, an alternative path to licensure would be announced if the September UBE could not be administered. The remote exam will be open to all who wish to apply (and are qualified under our rules for application by examination), including repeat test-takers and LLM graduates. It will not provide a portable UBE score, and, to our knowledge, no other UBE jurisdiction has announced that it will elect to accept a remote exam score. Per the court’s May 4th order, exam application fees are not refundable. If a registered applicant chooses not to take the October exam, fees already paid for the September exam are transferrable to another form of admission. The court will issue an order later this week making a formal announcement and providing details on reopening the application process.
5/29/2020 Bar Examination February 2020 Results click here.
3/23/2020 Committee on Unauthorized Practice of Law Opinion 24-20: Teleworking from Home and the COVID-19 Pandemic
COMMITTEE ON ADMISSIONS CONTACT INFORMATION
- For general admissions questions including application status updates, and certification: coa [at] dcappeals.gov
- For questions regarding wall certificates / plaques: nlane [at] dcappeals.gov
- For questions regarding withdrawals from the February 2020 Bar Exam: barexamwithdrawal [at] dcappeals.gov
- For pro hac vice applications and pro bono receipts: sparrish [at] dcappeals.gov
- For questions regarding unauthorized practice of law: cupl [at] dcappeals.gov
- For questions regarding accommodations for the July 2020 bar exam: dcaccommodations [at] dcappeals.gov
- For submitting oath statements and related questions: attyoath [at] dcappeals.gov
- For technical help with submitting applications: sparrish [at] dcappeals.gov
- For questions regarding Rule 46 admission requirements and Rule 49 extension requests: sshanks [at] dcappeals.gov
10/30/2019 Bar Examination July 2019 Results click here.
2/4/2019 Office of the Committee on Admissions and Committee on Unauthorized Practice of Law Phone hours:
Monday through Friday 9 am to 11 am and 3 pm to 5 pm.
2/3/2019 NOTICE TO APPLICANTS FOR ADMISSION on MOTION WHO ARE SUBJECT TO THE 360 DAY PRACTICE LIMITATION UNDER RULE 49
Pursuant to the amendment to D.C. Court of Appeals Rule 49(c)(8), “Upon request and for good cause shown, the Director of the Committee on Admissions may extend beyond 360 days the period during which a person is authorized to practice under Rule 49(c)(8).” Please submit all requests in writing to: Shela Shanks, Director, COA/CUPL by email: sshanks [at] dcappeals.gov
2/1/2019 A Message of Thanks from the DC Court of Appeals
1/3/2019 Administrative Order 1-19 for Temporary Suspension of Rule Requiring Law Students Practicing in D.C. to Register with this Court and be issued a Student Bar Membership Card
1/8/2018 Certificates of Good Standing are now issued by the DC Bar on behalf of the Court of Appeals. Mail requests received by the Committee on Admissions will be returned to the requestor. For more information on the processing of Certificates please contact the DC Bar. Pro hac vice and pro bono applications continue to be issued by the Office of the Committee on Admissions.
Please ensure that "dcappeals.gov" is a marked as a "trusted sender" in your email account so that you will receive important notifications from the Office of Admissions.
Admissions FAQs (PDF)
ALL APPLICANTS MUST COMPLETE THEN SUBMIT AN NCBE CHARACTER AND FITNESS APPLICATION (see links below).
| Title | Download PDF |
|---|---|
| Bar Exam Application Information | Download |
Please note that the Committee's online application includes the electronic application developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Click on the link below for the NCBE's website to create a user account and access the electronic application.
Information booklets, which include practice questions and other study materials for the MEE, MPT, and MBE, are available from the NCBE's website.
MEE, MPT, and MBE Information Booklets
Time of Notice and Publication of Bar Examination Results
The District of Columbia Bar Examination is administered twice per year. Applicants who sit for the February bar examination will typically be notified in writing of the results of their examination by mid-May. Applicants who sit for the July bar examination will typically be notified in writing of the results of their examination in late October. An alphabetical list of the successful applicants shall be published with the request that any information tending to affect the eligibility of an applicant on moral grounds be furnished to the Committee. The first publication shall be at least 30 days before the Committee reports to the court. This list will be posted in the office of the Committee on Admissions on the first floor of the Historic Courthouse. The list will also be posted on this website as well as the DC Bar's website.
An unsuccessful applicant will receive written notification which shall contain the applicant's raw score for each question in the written component, the written component scaled score, the MBE scaled score, and the combined UBE scaled score. DC App. Rule 46(c)(11)(B). An unsuccessful applicant may arrange to review his or her graded written component answers, in accordance with DC App. Rule 46(c)(12).
This summary is not a definitive description of the rules governing admission. For a definitive description please consult Rule 46 of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
Please click on the link by the appropriate rule provision to apply.
Login to Continue or Check Your Online Application for Admission to the DC Bar (Powered by netFORUM)
| Application Type | Application Requirements |
|---|---|
| Rule 46(d)(3) – Motion by UBE score transfer Click here to apply under Rule 46(d)(3) |
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| Rule 46(e)(3)(A) – Motion by 5 Year Provision Click here to apply under Rule 46(e)(3)(A) |
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| Rule 46(e)(3)(B) – Motion by MBE Score Transfer Click here to apply under Rule 46(e)(3)(B) |
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Before you begin the electronic application, you must read and print the District of Columbia specific Instructions and Forms.
Also, please note that the Committee on Admissions uses the electronic application developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Clicking on the link below will redirect you to the NCBE's website where you will be required to create a user account to gain access to the electronic application.
Admissions Forms
| Title | Download PDF |
|---|---|
| Law School Certification Form (Final) - ABA Law School | Download |
| Law School Certification Form - Non-ABA Law School | Download |
| Law School Certification Form - 26 Credit Hours | Download |
| Essay Scaled Score Release Form | Download |
| Testing Accommodations - Applicant Request Form | Download |
| Testing Accommodations - Guidelines for Medical Documentation | Download |
| Supplemental Questionnaire Form | Download |
| Attorney Oath of Admission to the DC Bar | Download |
Admissions Rules
| Title | Download PDF |
|---|---|
| Admission by Examination - Rule 46(c) | Download |
| Admission by Transfer of UBE Score – Rule 46 (d) | Download |
| Admission without Examination – Rule 46 (e) | Download |
| License to Practice as a Special legal Consultant – Rule 46 (f) | Download |
| Legal Assistance by Law Students - Rule 48 | Download |
Additional Information
| Title | Download PDF |
|---|---|
| Admissions Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | Download |
| Guidance for Graduates of Non-ABA Approved Law Schools | Download |
| Instructions for Completing the Attorney Oath of Admission in Absentia After Certification | Download |
For Bar Members
| Title | Download PDF |
|---|---|
| Engraved Wall Certificate | Download |
| Certificate Concerning Discipline | Download |
| Request Verification of Reciprocity | Download |
Committee Members
Chair
Claudia A. Withers
Vice Chair
Stephen R. Henley
Members
Thomas E. Shakow
Adrian L. Steel Jr.
Stephen Douglas Juge
Elizabeth A. Greenidge
Thomas Healy
Micah Salb
Alvin Thomas
Kenneth J. Nunnenkamp
Almo J. Carter
Eric C. Schmale
Janell M. Wolfe
Counsel
Thomas E. Shakow
Director, Committee on Admissions and the Unauthorized Practice of Law
Shela Shanks
