[1] Therefore, attorneys seeking admission on motion can be admitted to a jurisdiction without having to undergo any additional testing, except where the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is required.
[1] Instead, applicants simply file a motion or application with the state supreme court, board of bar examiners, or state bar association of the other jurisdiction, which typically must be accompanied by certificates of good standing from all other jurisdictions in which they are admitted and sufficient personal information to facilitate a background check of good moral character.
[2] At the time of the 2021 publication, 43 jurisdictions (42 states and the District of Columbia) had rules that provided for admission on motion.
[2] Some U.S. jurisdictions, such as Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, will allow admission on motion of an attorney licensed in any state in lieu of taking their own bar examination, without the need to show reciprocity.
[4] Some states, such as California, Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina, do not allow reciprocity or admission by motion for attorneys licensed in any other jurisdiction.
[4] Many states require that an applicant for admission on motion be a graduate of an ABA-approved law school.
[2] Other states make more specific exceptions to the requirement of graduating from an ABA-approved law school.
[2] While a minimum of three years of good standing in a U.S. jurisdiction does make applicants eligible to seek admission on motion to the District of Columbia, applicants may also be eligible if they graduated from an ABA-approved law school or meet other specific requirements if they graduated from a non-ABA approved school.
[8] In June 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Virginia law that required lawyers seeking admission on motion to be permanent residents of the state.
[11] The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Friedman, holding that Virginia's residency requirement for applicants seeking admission to the State's bar on motion violated the Privileges and Immunities Clause.
For example, in addition to being barred in another U.S. jurisdiction, having practiced law for at least five out of the last seven years, and being admitting to a jurisdiction that extends reciprocity to New Jersey lawyers, applicants seeking admission by motion to the New Jersey Bar must also complete a course on ethics and professionalism.
[13] California requires that attorneys applying for admission by motion be in compliance with any court order for child or family support.
Network was formed to improve licensing accommodations for military spouses with law degrees.