Lawyers

Special Requirements

1. Unless otherwise directed by the Board, in each year bar examinations will be held on two successive days in either the City of Richmond or Norfolk beginning on the Tuesday immediately preceding the last Wednesday in February at 9:00 a.m., and in the City of Roanoke beginning on the Tuesday immediately preceding the last Wednesday in July at 9:00 a.m.
2. Each examination will consist of two parts, with each part having a morning and an afternoon session. The first part, given on Tuesday, is the Essay part which is prepared and graded under the supervision of the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners. This part will test the applicant's knowledge of:

3. The second part, given on Wednesday, is the Multistate Bar Examination, compiled and graded under the supervision of the National Conference of Bar Examiners Office of Testing. The second part will test the applicant's knowledge of:

4. All applicants must concurrently take the Essay part and the Multistate part of an examination at the same exam administration in Virginia. The scores of both parts will be weighted and combined to determine if the applicant has achieved an overall passing score as set by the Board. Such weighting shall be made by a credit of 60% being given the score made on the Essay part and a credit of 40% being given the Scale Score made on the Multistate part. Only applicants who achieve such overall passing score will be licensed to practice law in Virginia.
5. Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination: before being licensed to practice law in Virginia an applicant must submit evidence to the Board that he or she has, within the calendar year he or she passes the Virginia Bar Examination or within the two calendar years immediately preceding or following such year, achieved a scale score of 85 or better on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination ("MPRE") administered by the designee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The applicant is responsible to file a timely application for the MPRE directly with the designee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners that administers the MPRE and to see that the applicant's score on the MPRE is certified by the MPRE administrator directly to the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners. The MPRE is administered in March, August and November of each year at various locations across the country.

1. No person shall be licensed to practice law in Virginia by the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners unless such person first produces evidence satisfactory to the Board that the applicant is a person of honest demeanor and good moral character and possesses the requisite fitness to perform the obligations and responsibilities of a practicing attorney. The applicant has the burden to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he or she possesses these qualifications. If an applicant fails to answer any question on the Character and Fitness Questionnaire or which is otherwise propounded by the Board, or to supply any requested documentary material, the Board may find that the applicant has not met the burden of proving his or her good moral character.
2. The primary purposes of character and fitness screening before admission to the Virginia Bar are to assure the protection of the public and safeguard the system of justice. An attorney should be one whose record of conduct justifies the trust of clients, adversaries, courts, and others with respect to the professional duties owed to them. A record manifesting a significant deficiency in the honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, or reliability of an applicant may constitute a basis for denial of admission. The revelation or discovery of any of the following may be treated as cause for further inquiry before the Board decides whether the applicant possesses the character and fitness to practice law:
   1. commission or conviction of a crime;
   2. violation of the honor code of the applicant's college or university, law school, or other academic misconduct;
   3. making of false statements or omissions, including failing to provide complete and accurate information concerning the applicant's past;
   4. misconduct in employment;
   5. other than an honorable discharge from any branch of the armed services;
   6. acts involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;
   7. abuse of legal process;
   8. neglect of financial responsibilities;
   9. neglect of professional obligations;
   10. violation of an order of a court;
   11. denial of admission to the bar in another jurisdiction on character and fitness grounds;
   12. disciplinary action by a lawyer disciplinary agency or other professional disciplinary agency of any jurisdiction, including pending, unresolved disciplinary complaints against the applicant;
   13. commission of an act constituting the unauthorized practice of law, or unresolved complaints involving allegations of the unauthorized practice of law;
   14. any other conduct which reflects adversely upon the character or fitness of an applicant.
3. The Board shall determine whether the present character and fitness of an applicant qualify the applicant for admission to the practice of law. In making this determination, the following factors will be considered in assigning weight and significance to the applicant's prior conduct:

1. age of the applicant at the time of the conduct;
2. recency of the conduct;
3. reliability of the information concerning the conduct;
4. seriousness of the conduct;
5. factors underlying the conduct;
6. cumulative effect of the conduct or information;
7. evidence of rehabilitation;
8. positive social contributions of the applicant since the conduct;
9. candor of the applicant in the admissions process; and
10. materiality of any omissions or misrepresentations.
3. The Board's obligation to the public requires the Board to address recent mental health and chemical or psychological dependency matters, which may affect, or if untreated could affect, an applicant's ability to perform any of the obligations and responsibilities of a practicing lawyer in a competent and professional manner. Accordingly, the Board will inquire concerning (i) mental or emotional instability and (ii) existing and untreated drug or alcohol dependency. The mere fact of treatment for mental health problems or chemical or psychological dependency is not, in itself, a basis on which an applicant is ordinarily denied admission in Virginia, and the Board of Bar Examiners regularly licenses individuals who have demonstrated personal responsibility and maturity in dealing with mental health and chemical or psychological dependency issues. The Board encourages applicants who may benefit from treatment or counseling to seek it. A license may be denied or deferred when an applicant's ability to function is impaired in a manner relevant to the practice of law at the time the licensing decision is made, or when an applicant demonstrates a lack of candor by his or her responses.
4. Each applicant must file with the Board a completed Character and Fitness Questionnaire and pay the required character investigation fee. Any applicant who believes he or she may have a character or fitness problem should file early so that such potential problem may be resolved as soon as practicable. The investigation fee shall be set out from time to time by the Board. The current fee schedule is available from the Office of the Secretary of the Board.

Required Fees:

Virginia Bar Exam: $275

For More Information, Contact:

Virginia Board Of Bar Examiners
Suite 225, Shokoe Center
11 South 12Th St.
Richmond, VA 23219-4009
Phone: 804.786.7490
Phone: 800.745.3926
http://www.vbbe.state.va.us/

The data sources for the information displayed here include: Virginia Career VIEW Research. (Using onet28)