Latest News
- July 2024 Bar Exam
- February 2025 Bar Exam
Notices
- Supreme Court of Virginia amended Rule 1A:8 for Military Spouse Provisional Admission - effective March 4, 2024
- Timeline Extended for Accepting MPRE Scores - More information
- Third-year law students may take the February 2023 Virginia Bar Exam - More information
- Supreme Court of Virginia amended Rule 1A:1 for Admission Without Examination - effective November 12, 2023
- Supreme Court of Virginia new Rule 1A:9 for Virginia Legal Aid Counsel - as amended March 7, 2023
- Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (VJLAP) - Click here for more information.
- VSB Award (available to exam-takers who plan to be in-house counsel) - Click here for more information.
Welcome!
The Virginia Board of Bar Examiners ("Board") is an agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia. In addition, its statutory authority is found in § 54.1-3919 et seq. of the Code of Virginia. The Board is responsible for ascertaining the qualifications of applicants for admission to the Bar of Virginia and licensing those applicants who meet those requirements as established by the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia General Assembly, and the Rules and Regulations issued by the Board.
Before calling our office, please refer to our FAQs or the links below to see if your questions can be answered. Our website should provide you all information on the bar admission process in Virginia.
On this website, you will find:
- Frequently Asked Questions about admission to the Virginia Bar.
- Information about the Bar Exam and all its components, including the Character & Fitness Questionnaire.
- Information on Admission Without Examination (for persons who may be qualified by virtue of their years of experience in the full-time licensed practice of law in accordance with Rule 1A:1).
- Information on the Law Reader Program.
- Information on Military Legal Assistance Attorney, Military Spouse Provisional Admission, Foreign Legal Consultant, Virginia Corporate Counsel, Part I, Virginia Legal Aid Counsel, and Virginia State Bar Reinstatement.
We can be contacted at the address and phone number below or by accessing the Contact Us page. We try to respond to all correspondence within 48 hours of our receipt, workload permitting. In order to give our staff time to perform all of their required duties, our voice telephone lines are open between the hours of 9:00 to 3:00 Monday through Friday. At other times (or if all lines are busy during those hours), you will hear a recording. Before calling, please see if your questions can be answered by the information on this site.
If you feel overwhelmed and want to talk, the Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (VJLAP) is there for you. The Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program is an independent non-profit organization which provides confidential, non-disciplinary assistance to lawyers, judges, law students, legal professionals, and their family members who experience impairment as a result of substance abuse and/or mental health conditions.
For more information, please contact VJLAP at info@vjlap.org or 877-545-4682 (24/7). Services are complimentary, confidential and non-disciplinary.