Obtaining a License to Practice Law
Important Bar Exam Changes
Beginning in July 2009, the essay portion of the Colorado Bar Exam will change to the Multi-State Essay Exam (MEE), and Colorado-specific questions in Civil Procedure and Family Law will be eliminated. Beginning in July 2010, Conflict of Laws will be added as a subject for examination. For the next two exams, where the MEE will be used – July 2009 and February 2010 – Conflict of Laws will not be tested.
Main Requirements for Colorado
- J.D. from an accredited school
- Professionalism Course with the Colorado Bar Association – completion required to be sworn-in
- Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) - passing grade with a scaled score of at least 85
- Colorado Bar Exam - passing grade on the with a scaled score of at least 276
- Good moral character and fitness
Find more information on these requirements at the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Bar Association brochure on Becoming a Lawyer in Colorado [pdf].
Financial Aid
Students can work with Financial Aid to include the cost of the Bar Exam in their cost of attendance and increase their federal student loans by this amount to cover this cost provided the student pays for the bar exam during this Spring semester preceding the Bar Exam.
If the student pays for the exam after early May, Financial Aid cannot include the cost. (Please see Rob Drybread for the current relevant dates). This budget increase option covers the cost of the Bar Exam only, and does not include preparatory courses (BarBri) or study guides, etc. There is no grace period or appeal process for this rule. Students need to pay for the exam up front and give their receipt to Rob Drybread and he can help students include this expense.
Professionalism Course
- Dates & Fees – Find the most recent Dates at Colorado Supreme Court’s Professionalism School Schedule website.
- Registration – Register online for the classes at the Colorado Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education website or call 303-860-0608.
- Requirements - The Colorado Supreme Court requires that you take the six-hour Practicing with Professionalism course co-sponsored by the Colorado Bar Association and the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel before taking the oath of admission. Applicants cannot fulfill this requirement through audio-homestudy. The professionalism course is valid for one full calendar year following completion of the course.
Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)
- Dates & Fees – Find the most recent Dates and Fees at the National Conference on Bar Examiners MPRE website.
- Registration – Register online at their secure site.
- Requirements - Required to obtain your license, a passing score is valid if achieved not more than two years prior to acceptance of application for admission in Colorado. The MPRE may be taken while the examinee is a law student.
State Bar Certification Form
Regardless of which state bar exam you take, you will need to furnish the Law School Registrar with the particular state bar certification form. Send the form and any pertinent instructions to: Law Registrar, University of Colorado Law School, 401 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0401 (Fax: 303-492-1757).
If the bar examiner's office does not provide a form, and they need a Certification of Graduation Letter, email the Law Registrar and include:
- Your full name at graduation
- Year of graduation
- Particular information to which the Registrar will be certifying (dates of attendance, graduation date, good standing, etc.)
- State bar examiner's office and mailing addresses
- Your telephone number and/or mailing address
Colorado Bar Exam Applications
- Information Session - The Office of Career Development hosts a Bar Exam information session for 3Ls in the fall every year.
- Process – Find Applications and Instructions at the Colorado Supreme Court’s Board of Bar Examiner’s website.
- Dates & Fees – Find the latest dates and fees at Exam Information, IMPORTANT: As part of the background investigation, the Board obtains a credit report and an additional fee is added to your amount due when the application is filed to cover the report.
- Fingerprinting - After you submit your application to the Board of Law Examiners, they will mail you fingerprint instructions. CU Campus Police fingerprint Tuesday through Friday from 3:00–4:00 p.m., as well as the Boulder County Justice Center on 6th Street and Canyon Boulevard on the second floor in the Sheriff’s Department from 8:30 to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. ID is required.
- Tips - Start your application early and read everything carefully! You need to gather a lot of information before the deadline, including, but not limited to: employment history, residence history, attorney references, friend and/or colleague references, criminal history, mental health history, and financial history. Provide very specific and detailed information and be completely honest about everything. All information goes toward credibility, moral character, and fitness to practice law. If you cannot or have trouble answering any of the questions, attach a sufficient supplemental explanation. Do not ignore a question.
- Reference - Read Lorenzo Trujillo’s article: The Relationship of the Bar Exam and Law School: A Look at Assessment and Student Success[pdf], 78 U. Colo. L. Rev. 69 (2007).
Colorado Bar Exam
The Colorado Bar Examination is a 2-day test with three sections:
- Multi-State Bar Exam is a 6-hour multiple-choice test with 200 questions, divided into a 3-hour morning session and a 3-hour afternoon session. Subjects tested include: Contracts, Real Property, Criminal Law, Torts, Evidence, and Constitutional Law
- The Essay portion consists of nine short questions, five in the morning session and four in the afternoon. They allot 3 hours and 45 minutes to answer all nine questions (an average of 25 minutes per question). Answer each question using no more than the front and back of an 8.5x11 sheet. Substantive subjects that may be tested include: Business Associations (includes Agency, Partnership and Corporations), Evidence, Commercial Transactions (includes Secured Transactions, Sales, and Negotiable Instruments), Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Public Law (includes Constitutional Law and Administrative Law), Real Property, Torts, and Wills, Estates and Trusts.
- Performance Test consists of two 90-minute questions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Questions test skills commonly used by lawyers practicing law competently, including, but are not limited to: Legal Analysis, Fact Analysis, Awareness of Professional Responsibility, Problem Solving, Research, and Writing.
Bar Exam Review Courses
Select courses that cover all aspects of the individual state bar exam:
- BAR/BRI, 1-888-3BA-RBRI
- MBEEdge, 1-800-BAR-EXAM
- NILAS Bar Review - 303-707-0440
- The Study Group Personal Bar Review, 1-800-239-2349
Supplemental Bar Review courses covering only the Multistate Bar Exam section (only Washington and Louisiana do not administer the MBE):
- PMBR, 1-800-523-0777
- Practicing Law Institute Multistate Bar Review
- MyBarPrep
- AdaptiBar, Tel: 877-466-1250
Getting Your License OUTSIDE of Colorado
Every state and Washington, D.C., maintains their own rules and regulations regarding the licensing of attorneys. Further, each state has its own bar examination. Therefore, you must research the particular state’s offices and websites in order to find out the pertinent bar admission information.
The Office of Career Development’s Resource Library has the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements,which contains a synopsis of each state’s bar admission requirements and relevant dates[pdf]. Look at this list early if you are considering taking another state’s exam since deadlines vary and are subject to change. The ABA also provides a synopsis about practicing law in other states through reciprocity[pdf].
