Eligibility and Requirements for the Lawyer Bar Exam
To take the Washington lawyer bar exam, you must meet the qualifications stated in Washington Supreme Court Admission and Practice Rule (APR) 3. In all cases, you must establish that you possess good moral character and the requisite fitness to practice law.
To qualify to take the lawyer bar exam, you must have:
- graduated from an ABA-accredited law school with a Juris Doctor degree; or
- completed the Washington Supreme Court APR 6 Law Clerk Program; or
- graduated with a Juris Doctor from any U.S. law school and earned an LLM degree that meets the requirements of Washington Supreme Court APR 3 from an ABA-approved law school; or
- graduated from a university or law school outside of the U.S. with a degree in law that qualifies the applicant to practice law in that jurisdiction and earned an LLM degree that meets the requirements of Washington Supreme Court APR 3 from an ABA-approved law school; or
- been admitted to the practice of law in any jurisdiction where the common law of England is the basis of its jurisprudence and has legal experience for at least three of the five years immediately preceding the filing of the application.
How to Apply for the Upcoming Lawyer Bar Exam
To apply for the upcoming bar exam, please use our online admissions application portal
Please Note :
All applicants are subject to a character and fitness review prior to being admitted to practice law in Washington. Factors considered by Admissions staff and Regulatory Counsel when determining whether an applicant should be referred to the Character and Fitness Board are set forth in Admission and Practice Rule APR 20–24.3.
Any discrepancy or conflict between the information provided here and the rules and regulations set by the Washington Supreme Court, or the Bylaws and policies of the Washington State Bar Association, is unintentional and will be resolved in favor of strict compliance with the rules, regulations, Bylaws and policies.
