Minnesota Bar Reciprocity

Rule 7 of the Minnesota Rules for Admission to the Bar governs admission for attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions. The process in Minnesota is called Admission on Motion or Admission Without Examination. Attorneys may be admitted by several means.

First, attorneys may be eligible if they have achieved a scaled score of 145 or greater on the Multistate Bar Exam (“MBE”) in the past two years. Second, Minnesota will adopt the Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”) beginning with the February 2014 Minnesota Bar Exam and now accept UBE scores from other jurisdictions. Third, attorneys may be eligible for admission if they have been practicing law for at least five of the past seven years immediately preceding the application for admission.

MINNESOTA ADMISSION VIA MBE SCORE

Rule 7(B) of the Minnesota Rules for Admission to the Bar allows applicants to be admitted through a MBE score of 145 or greater. The MBE is required be taken as a part of and at the same time as the essay or other part of a written bar exam. The applicant must have passed the bar exam and be admitted to the jurisdiction where the bar exam was taken. Applicants cannot have previously failed the Minnesota bar exam.

The Board must receive evidence of the MBE score and a completed application with 24 months of the date of the qualifying MBE exam. The time limit is strictly enforced. MBE scores are transferred to Minnesota through the NCBE. Applications can be found under the Admission on Motion section of the Minnesota Board of Law Examiners’ Website. If an applicant wishes to apply for admission based on an MBE score but the transferring jurisdiction cannot transfer the score by Minnesota’s deadline, the applicant should apply for the Minnesota Bar Exam and then later transfer that bar exam application to the MBE admission on motion application.

MINNESOTA ADMISSION VIA UBE SCORE

Rule 7(C) of the Minnesota Rules for Admission to the Bar allows applicants to be admitted through a UBE score of 260 or greater. The score must be submitted within three years of the UBE test date when the score was achieved.

MINNESOTA ADMISSION ON MOTION (Without Taking the Minnesota Bar Exam)

Reciprocal Jurisdictions

The process in Minnesota is not based on bar reciprocity with other jurisdictions. Attorneys meeting the requirements may apply for admission.

Attorneys from these states may be Admitted on Motion in Minnesota

Additional Requirements

Minnesota’s additional reciprocity requirements include:

Law Degree. A law degree from an ABA fully, or provisionally, approved law school.

Character and Fitness. Attorneys must meet the applicable character and fitness standards.

Good Standing and Prior Bar Exam. Attorneys must be in good standing in all jurisdictions where admitted and cannot be currently suspended or disbarred. Attorneys cannot have failed the Minnesota bar exam.

Practice of Law. Attorneys may be eligible for admission if they have been practicing law for at least 60 of the 84 months immediately preceding the application for admission. Attorneys must be practicing as their principal occupation, and the practice must be in a jurisdiction where the admitted or the practice is otherwise permitted by those not admitted in that jurisdiction. Practice includes:

Private Practice (representing one or more clients) (law firm or association)

Judges (in courts of law)

Government Attorneys (federal government or federal government agency) (even if outside of the jurisdiction where admitted)

Military Attorneys (members of the Judge Advocate General’s Department of one of the military branches of the United States)

Full-time faculty members at approved law schools (even if outside of the jurisdiction where admitted)

Corporate Counsel, Agency, Association, or Trust Department

Judicial Clerks (even if outside of the jurisdiction where admitted)

MPRE. Attorneys must achieve a scaled score of 85 or better on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (“MPRE).