Supreme Court Rule 708 governs admission to the Kansas Bar for attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions. The process in Kansas is called Petition for Admission to the Bar Without Written Examination. Attorneys must have passed a written bar exam and been admitted to another state or District of Columbia that has bar reciprocity with Kansas. Attorneys also must have actively practiced law for five of the past seven years immediately preceding the application for admission.
Reciprocity
The Admission on Motion procedure in Kansas is based on bar reciprocity. Attorneys must be licensed in at least one jurisdiction that permits mutuality of admission without examination for members of the Kansas Bar.
| Attorneys from these states may be Admitted on Motion in Kansas | |
| Attorneys from these states cannot be Admitted on Motion in Kansas |
Reciprocal Jurisdictions
Kansas’s Bar Reciprocity List contains jurisdictions that have reciprocity with Kansas. The map above identifies the states with which Kansas has bar reciprocity.
Additional Requirements
Kansas’s additional reciprocity requirements include:
Undergraduate Degree. A bachelor’s degree from a college or university approved by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.
Law Degree. A law degree from an ABA 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 have received professional discipline or suspension, disbarment, or loss of license in any other jurisdiction. Attorneys also cannot be subject to current or pending discipline and cannot have failed a Kansas Bar Exam.
Practice of Law. Attorneys must have actively practiced law for five of the past seven years immediately preceding the application for admission. Attorneys admitted with a special temporary permit to practice are lawfully engaged in the practice of law. “Active practice of law” includes:
- Private Practice (representation of one or more clients in the practice of law)
- Judges (local, state, territorial, or federal courts) (provided such employment is available only to licensed attorneys)
- Government Attorneys (local state, or federal) (primary duties of furnishing legal counsel, drafting legal documents and pleadings, interpreting and giving advice regarding the law or preparing, trying or presenting cases before courts, departments of government or administrative agencies)
- Judicial Clerks
- Military Attorneys (primary duties of furnishing legal counsel, drafting legal documents and pleadings, interpreting and giving advice regarding the law or preparing, trying or presenting cases before courts, departments of government or administrative agencies)
- Law Professors teaching at ABA approved law schools
- Corporate Counsel (primary duties of furnishing legal counsel, drafting legal documents and pleadings, interpreting and giving advice regarding the law or preparing, trying or presenting cases before courts, departments of government or administrative agencies)
- Not specifically enumerated: No major categories.
MPRE. There Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) is not required.
Designate the Kansas Appellate Court Clerk for Service.
Kansas Bar Reciprocity Application Procedure
Attorneys eligible for Admission on Motion in Kansas must complete the Application. Applications may be accepted at any time. Applications take 3 to 4 months to process.