Rule 203. Admission by bar examination.
(a) Bar Examination. The general requirements for permission to sit for the bar examination are:
(1) Receipt of an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university or the receipt of an education which, in the opinion of the Board, is the equivalent of an undergraduate college or university education.
(2)(i) Except as provided in subparagraph 2(ii) of this Rule, completion of the study of law at and receipt without exception of an earned Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree from a law school that was an accredited law school at the time the applicant matriculated or graduated. See Rule 205 (relating to admission by bar examination for graduates with foreign law degrees) for standards applicable to graduates of foreign law schools; or
(ii) completion of the study of law at and receipt without exception of an earned Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree from a law school located within the boundaries of the United States of America that was not an accredited law school either at the time the applicant matriculated or graduated, provided that the applicant is a member of the bar of a reciprocal state and meets the following qualifications:
(A) Presentation of a certificate from the highest court or agency of such state having jurisdiction over admission to the bar and the practice of law stating that the applicant is in good standing at the bar of such court or such state.
(B) Presentation of proof satisfactory to the Board that the applicant has for a period of five years of the last seven years immediately preceding the date of filing of the application for admission to the bar of this Commonwealth:
(i) engaged in the practice of law in a reciprocal state or states outside this Commonwealth. For purposes of this paragraph, the phrase ‘‘engaged in the practice of law’’ is defined as ‘‘devoting a major portion of one’s time and energy to the rendering of legal services’’; or
(ii) engaged full-time in the teaching of law at one or more accredited law schools in the United States; or
(iii) engaged primarily in the performance of legal functions while serving on active duty in the United States military service as a judge advocate as defined in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 801, as amended, regardless of the location of the service.
Service under subparagraphs (i), (ii), and (iii) may be combined to satisfy the five year service requirement of this subparagraph.
(3) Presentation of a certificate of good standing from the highest court or the agency having jurisdiction over admission to the bar and the practice of law in every state or jurisdiction in which the applicant has been admitted to practice law, stating that the applicant is in good professional standing at the bar of such court or state. An applicant who is disbarred or suspended for disciplinary reasons from the practice of law in another jurisdiction at the time of filing an application for permission to sit for the bar examination shall not be eligible to sit for the bar examination.
(b) Admission to the Bar. The general requirements for admission to the bar of this Commonwealth are:
(1) satisfactory completion of the bar examination administered by or under the authority of the Board;
(2) absence of prior conduct by the applicant which in the opinion of the Board indicates character and general qualifications (other than scholastic) incompatible with the standards expected to be observed by members of the bar of this Commonwealth; and
(3) satisfactory completion of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination at the score determined by the Court which score shall be publicly posted.
Source The provisions of this Rule 203 amended April 25, 1980, effective immediately; December 17, 1981, effective 30 days after January 9, 1982; June 20, 1983, effective immediately, amended August 22, 1986; amended September 5, 1986, effective September 6, 1986, 16 Pa.B. 3282; amended June 16, 1993, effective immediately, 23 Pa.B. 3123; amended January 31, 1997, effective immediately, 27 Pa.B. 796; amended November 23, 1999, effective immediately, 29 Pa.B. 6236; amended October 14, 2011, effective in 30 days, 41 Pa.B. 5742; amended January 4, 2022, effective January 12, 2022, 52 Pa.B. 341; amended April 17, 2024, effective May 1, 2024, 54 Pa.B. 2219. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (408462) to (408463).
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