To practice law in the United States, you need a license from the state where you want to work, and earning one takes a bachelor’s degree, a Juris Doctor from an American Bar Association–accredited law school, a passing score on that state’s bar exam, a passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, a cleared character and fitness review, and a formal oath of admission. There is no national law license. Each jurisdiction runs its own admissions process, sets its own passing scores, and imposes its own ongoing requirements once you are admitted. The licenses required to be a lawyer are therefore a stack of credentials earned in sequence, and the stack usually takes seven years of schooling plus several months of testing and background review to complete.
The Two Degrees You Need
A law license starts with a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. No particular major is required, and law schools accept applicants from essentially every field. Coursework that builds writing, reasoning, and analytical skills tends to matter more than the subject on the diploma.
The second degree is a Juris Doctor from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, which has served as the national accrediting body for J.D. programs since 1952. In most states, graduation from an ABA-approved school is a prerequisite to sitting for the bar exam.1American Bar Association. Legal Ed Frequently Asked Questions A full-time J.D. takes three years. First-year courses typically cover contracts, torts, constitutional law, civil procedure, and criminal law, with specialized electives in the second and third years.
Admission to most law schools requires a Law School Admission Test score. The LSAT is a multiple-choice exam with sections on logical reasoning and reading comprehension, administered by the Law School Admission Council.2Law School Admission Council. The LSAT – Law School Admission Test Some schools now accept the GRE as well, though the LSAT remains dominant.
A narrow alternative exists in a few states. California, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington have historically let aspiring lawyers qualify for the bar exam without a J.D. through apprenticeship or “law reader” programs, which involve studying for several years under a licensed attorney or judge. The practical requirements are demanding, and very few people take this route.
Passing the Bar Exam
After law school, you must pass the bar exam in the state where you want to practice. The exam is offered twice a year, on the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July. Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score, so identical performance can qualify you in one state and fall short in another.
The Uniform Bar Examination
As of early 2026, 41 jurisdictions use the Uniform Bar Examination, a standardized two-day test developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.3National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Jurisdictions – Uniform Bar Examination It has three parts: the Multistate Bar Examination, a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice test on constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, civil procedure, evidence, real property, and torts;4National Conference of Bar Examiners. Bar Exams – MPRE UBE MBE MEE MPT NextGen the Multistate Essay Examination, six 30-minute essays drawn from a broader pool including family law, trusts and estates, business associations, and secured transactions;5National Conference of Bar Examiners. MEE Bar Exam and the Multistate Performance Test, two 90-minute tasks that simulate real legal work like drafting a memo or client letter from a provided case file.6National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPT Preparation
UBE scores are portable. If you earn a UBE score in one jurisdiction, you can transfer it to another UBE jurisdiction without retaking the exam, as long as you meet the receiving state’s minimum passing score and complete its other admission requirements, including a separate character and fitness review.7National Conference of Bar Examiners. Transferring Your UBE Scores You must take all three components in the same jurisdiction during the same administration to earn a portable score.
The NextGen Bar Exam Starting July 2026
The NCBE is launching a redesigned test called the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination in a limited number of jurisdictions in July 2026. Roughly 50 jurisdictions have formally adopted it, though most will not administer it until after the initial launch states. California, Louisiana, and Nevada are among the states that have not adopted it.8National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen Bar Exam
The new exam spans one and a half days across three three-hour sections and mixes standalone multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets built around a shared fact pattern, and performance tasks that combine legal research with writing.9National Conference of Bar Examiners. NextGen UBE Blueprint, July 2026-February 2027 Scores are reported on a 500 to 750 scale, and each jurisdiction will set its own passing score within that range. Like the current UBE, NextGen scores are portable between adopting jurisdictions. If you are sitting for the bar in 2026 or 2027, check your jurisdiction’s adoption timeline carefully, because which version you take depends on when and where you test.
Passing the MPRE
Nearly every jurisdiction also requires a passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. The MPRE is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice test on the ethical rules governing lawyers, including duties to clients, obligations to the court, and conflicts of interest.10National Conference of Bar Examiners. About the MPRE Exam
It is given three times a year on dates separate from the bar exam. In 2026, the administrations fall in March, August, and November.11National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPRE Exam Each state sets its own minimum passing score, with required scores generally ranging from 75 to 86 on a scaled score out of 150. Many students take the MPRE during their second or third year of law school, since scores remain valid for several years in most jurisdictions.
Clearing Character and Fitness
Every bar applicant must pass a character and fitness investigation run by the state’s admissions authority. The review is not looking for a spotless history. It is looking for honesty, accountability, and evidence that past problems have been addressed.
The questionnaire is extensive. The NCBE’s standard application asks about criminal history, including arrests, charges, and convictions, as well as traffic offenses involving alcohol or drugs. It covers academic and professional discipline, including whether you were ever suspended, placed on probation, or asked to withdraw from a school or job.12National Conference of Bar Examiners. NCBE Character and Fitness Sample Application
Financial responsibility gets real scrutiny too. The questionnaire asks specifically about defaulted student loans, other defaulted debts, debts more than 120 days past due within the past three years, revoked credit accounts, unpaid taxes, and bankruptcy filings.12National Conference of Bar Examiners. NCBE Character and Fitness Sample Application None of these issues is an automatic bar to admission. Omitting them is a different story. Bar examiners consistently treat nondisclosure and misrepresentation more harshly than the underlying conduct.
Taking the Oath
After the bar exam, the MPRE, and the character review are all cleared, the final step is a formal swearing-in ceremony. You take an oath before a court, pledging to uphold the state and federal constitutions and to conduct yourself ethically as an officer of the court. Once you take that oath, you hold an active law license in that jurisdiction.
Keeping the License Active
Admission is not the finish line. Nearly every jurisdiction imposes ongoing obligations to keep a license in good standing.
Continuing Legal Education
The vast majority of states require licensed attorneys to complete Continuing Legal Education credits on a recurring basis.13American Bar Association. ABA Mandatory CLE Only a handful of jurisdictions have no mandatory CLE. Typical requirements involve a set number of credit hours over a one-to-three-year reporting cycle, with a portion dedicated to legal ethics. Some states also require credits in professionalism, substance abuse awareness, or technology competence. Missing a CLE deadline can bring fines, suspension, or loss of your license.
Client Trust Accounts
Lawyers who handle client money are subject to strict rules keeping those funds separate from their own. Every state has an Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account program governing how attorneys hold small or short-term client funds. In most states, participation is mandatory for any lawyer who maintains a client trust account; a smaller number of states run opt-out or voluntary programs.14American Bar Association. Status of IOLTA Programs Commingling personal funds with client money is one of the most common grounds for discipline.
Professional Liability Insurance
Malpractice insurance rules vary. Some states require practicing attorneys to carry professional liability coverage. Others only require that lawyers disclose to clients whether they carry it. A smaller group has no formal requirement or disclosure rule. Even where coverage is optional, a single malpractice claim can exceed what most solo practitioners or small firms could absorb out of pocket.
Practicing in More Than One State
A law license is jurisdiction-specific. Admission in one state does not automatically let you practice in another, but several routes exist for lawyers who need to work across state lines.
If you passed the UBE, you can transfer your score to another UBE jurisdiction and seek admission there without retaking the exam, provided your score meets that state’s minimum and you complete its other requirements. Each jurisdiction sets time limits on how old a transferred score can be.7National Conference of Bar Examiners. Transferring Your UBE Scores
Many states also allow experienced attorneys to apply for admission without retaking the bar through a process called admission on motion. Requirements vary, but most states look for a minimum number of years in active practice, a J.D. from an ABA-accredited school, good standing in every jurisdiction where you are admitted, and no history of discipline.
When an out-of-state lawyer needs to appear in one specific case rather than relocate, courts allow temporary admission called pro hac vice (Latin for “for this occasion”). The lawyer files a motion, usually with the sponsorship of a locally licensed attorney, and pays a fee. The admission lasts only for that case.
Federal courts maintain their own separate bars. Each federal district court has its own admission requirements, typically requiring active membership in the bar of the state where the court sits. The U.S. Supreme Court has its own bar, which requires that an applicant have been admitted to practice in the highest court of a state for at least three years, have no disciplinary history during that period, and submit an application with two sponsors who are already members of the Supreme Court Bar.15Supreme Court of the United States. Important Information for Admission to the Bar