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Bar Examination Application Updates
The Virginia Board of Bar Examiners has revised the Virginia Bar Exam Rules. Effective September 1, 2019, applicants will have three options when applying for the bar exam:
Option 1 - Applicants will take both the Virginia Essay exam and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) in Virginia at the same bar exam administration.
Option 2 - Applicants will take the Virginia Essay exam and will use/transfer an MBE scaled score of 133 or greater, taken within 3 years prior to the date of the exam applied for, from a previous bar exam taken in Virginia or a jurisdiction other than Virginia.
Option 3 - Licensed attorneys will take only the Virginia Essay exam. They must be actively licensed to practice law and be in good standing in a jurisdiction other than Virginia, and they must have taken and passed a bar exam in a jurisdiction other than Virginia.
Please thoroughly read the Rules and application instructions, and refer to our Frequently Asked Questions before contacting our office with any questions.
MPRE Results - For those awaiting the MPRE results in order to be licensed
February 2019 or prior bar exam applicants awaiting the MPRE results from the August 2019 MPRE Exam, and who had their results sent to Virginia, please DO NOT CALL the office to find out if we have received your scores or to inquire about when you are going to be licensed.
The next licensing date is September 16, 2019. Those applicants who passed a previous Virginia bar exam (February 2019 or prior), have met all requirements, and are otherwise qualified, will be licensed on September 16, 2019*.
Upon being licensed, a letter will be sent to the address on record advising you of your licensure and the procedures to then follow.
If you have changed your address, please complete a Change of Address form.
*This is a licensing only date, NOT a date to appear to be sworn in.
July 2019 Bar Exam
February 2020 Bar Exam
Filing Deadline: The filing deadline for the February 2020 Bar Exam is *December 15, 2019. Click here for information.
*The statutory filing deadline, December 15, 2019, is a Sunday; therefore, the filing deadline is extended to Monday, December 16, 2019.
Admission Without Examination
The Admission Without Examination application has been updated to reflect Rule 1A:1 amendments effective December 1, 2018.
Changes to Rule 1A:1 include, but are not limited to:
- For purposes of admission without examination, “full-time” practice of law is defined as a minimum of 32 hours per week. Rule 1A:1, Introduction to Regulations.
- Practice from an office located in a jurisdiction where the applicant is not licensed (including Virginia), may be accepted as qualifying practice if “the applicant establishes, by satisfactory evidence, that such practice is permitted by statute, rule, court order, or by written confirmation from the admitting or disciplinary authority of the jurisdiction where the practice occurred.” Threshold Requirement 4.
- “For purposes of admission without examination, ‘practice of law’ ordinarily shall not mean document review work.” Threshold Requirement 4.