arkansas

bar admission administrative agency:
 
executive secretary
state board of law examiners
120 justice building
625 marshall street
little rock, ar 72201
tel: 501/374-1855
fax: 501/374-1853
website: http://courts.state.ar.us/courts/ble.html
website: http://www.arkbar.com
 
 
bar admission options:
 
without bar examination
an applicant who meets the following requirements may, upon motion, be admitted to the practice of law in arkansas:
1. admitted to practice law in another u.s. jurisdiction.
2. hold a first professional law degree from an american bar association-approved law school.
3. have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law in one or more u.s. jurisdictions for five of the seven years immediately preceding the application.
4. establishes that the u.s. jurisdiction in which the applicant has his/her principal place of business or in which he/she is domiciled and admitted would grant reciprocal admission to arkansas attorneys.
5. is a member in good standing in all jurisdictions where admitted.
6. is not currently subject to lawyer discipline or a pending disciplinary matter.
7. meets the requirements of the arkansas character and fitness rule.
8. designates the clerk of the arkansas supreme court for service of process; and
9. pays the application fee of $1,500.
detailed requirements are set forth in rule xvi of the rules governing admission to the bar.
 
with bar examination
examination required for all other applicants.
 
examination components:
1. academic: mbe, mee, mpt, and state essays. applicants may retain an arkansas acquired mbe scaled score of 135 or more for use in the immediately succeeding examination only. an mbe scaled score of 135 or more may also be transferred from another jurisdiction for use in the immediately succeeding examination only.
2. ethics: mpre scaled score of 85 may be transferred from another jurisdiction for a period of three years. any applicant may take the mpre prior to a general examination, or within one (1) year from conduct of a general examination at which the applicant receives a passing score.
 
examination dates:
february (deadline: november 15 of the preceding year)
july (deadline: april 1)
 
no late applications accepted.
 
application/admission fees:
$25.00 application fee, plus $25.00 mbe transfer fee (if applicable)
$325.00 examination fee
 
 
other state bar requirements:
 
1. u.s. citizenship or alien lawfully residing in the u.s.
 
2. graduate of a law school approved by the aba at the time of the applicant's graduation.
 
3. character check by the arkansas state board of law examiners prior to examination.
 
4. required annual fees: $100.00 (licensed for three years); $175.00 (licensed for three or more years); $15.00 (attorneys age 65 or older on or before january 1 of the year for which the license fee is payable).
 
 
regulation of in-house counsel
 
arkansas bar admission rules do not address in-house counsel.
 
 
bar association status:
 
[ ] mandatory
 
[x] voluntary
annual dues: $35.00 (first full year admitted to practice); $150.00 (standard dues, or members may elect instead to use an income scale to determine dues); $45.00 (out-of-state residents).
 
 
specialty certification
 
the arkansas board of legal specialization oversees specialty recognition. board committees adopt standards for specialization and regulate attorneys in each proposed area. written examination is required for board recognition. currently, the only board-recognized specialty area is tax law. a certified tax specialist may advertise that he or she is a "board recognized specialist in tax law."

a lawyer shall not state or imply that he or she is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law, unless: (1) the lawyer has been certified as a specialist by an organization that has been approved by an appropriate state authority or that has been accredited by the american bar association; and (2) the name of the certifying organization is clearly identified in the communication.