Colorado Bar Reciprocity

C.R.C.P. 203.2 governs admission to the Colorado Bar for attorneys licensed in other U.S. jurisdictions. The process is called Admission on Motion. Effective July 1, 2021, Colorado eliminated its reciprocity requirement. Attorneys from any U.S. jurisdiction (including the District of Columbia) may apply if they meet the rule’s criteria.

Applicants must have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law in one or more other U.S. jurisdictions for three of the five years immediately preceding the application filing date, and must have been admitted to practice in another U.S. jurisdiction through examination (diploma privilege alone is not eligible).

Admission on Motion (Criteria-Based)

Colorado no longer limits Admission on Motion to a reciprocal jurisdiction list. Eligibility is based on C.R.C.P. 203.2. The map below reflects that attorneys from all other U.S. jurisdictions may seek Admission on Motion if they satisfy those criteria. See Eligibility Requirements and the On Motion FAQs.

Additional Requirements

Colorado’s Admission on Motion requirements include:

Law Degree. A J.D. or LL.B. from an ABA approved law school at the time the applicant matriculated or graduated.

Admission by Examination. The attorney must have been admitted in another U.S. jurisdiction through examination (UBE or a state-issued bar exam). Diploma privilege is not a qualifying path for On Motion.

Good Standing. Attorneys must currently be members in good standing in all jurisdictions where admitted, not subject to attorney discipline or a pending disciplinary matter, and current on CLE requirements. Disbarred or resigned-pending-discipline attorneys (other than reciprocal Colorado action) are ineligible until readmitted in the other jurisdiction; disciplinarily suspended attorneys are ineligible until the suspension ends and they are reinstated there.

Practice of Law. Attorneys must have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law in one or more other U.S. jurisdictions for three of the five years immediately preceding the application. Failing a Colorado bar exam does not by itself preclude later Admission on Motion.

MPRE. A scaled score of 85 or greater on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (“MPRE”) is required before taking the oath. For On Motion applicants, a score of 85 is valid if earned not more than five years before the Colorado application. Exception: applicants licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction who have engaged in authorized active practice for 15 or more years, have no public discipline, and previously took the MPRE for admission elsewhere are not required to retake or submit a new score (see Colorado MPRE / C.R.C.P. 203.2(5)).

Professionalism Course. Successful applicants must complete Colorado’s mandatory professionalism course within six months of admission (C.R.C.P. 203.3(4) / related rules).

Colorado Admission on Motion Application Procedure

Apply through the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Admissions On Motion portal. See that page for current fees, Practice Pending Admission options, and application-system notices.