connecticut

bar admission administrative agency:
 
administrative director
connecticut bar examining committee
80 washington street
hartford, ct 06106-4424
tel: 860/756-7900
website: http://www.ctbar.org/
website: http://www.jud.state.ct.us/cbec/
 
 
bar admission options:
 
without bar examination
any applicant who is a member of the bar of another u.s. jurisdiction and whose educational qualifications would have entitled the applicant to take the examination in connecticut at the time of the applicant's admission to the bar of which the applicant is a member, and that at least one jurisdiction in which the applicant is a member of the bar is reciprocal* to connecticut in that it would admit a member of the bar of connecticut to its bar without examination under provisions similar to those set out in this section, may be admitted without examination provided the applicant:
1. has passed an examination in professional responsibility administered under the auspices of the bar examining committee or has completed a course in professional responsibility;
2. has been licensed to practice law in a reciprocal jurisdiction and has lawfully engaged in the practice of law as the applicant's principal means of livelihood in such reciprocal jurisdiction for at least five of the seven years immediately preceding the date of application;
3. is a graduate of a law school whose educational requirements were equivalent to those of connecticut at time of admission;
4. is a u.s. citizen or an alien lawfully residing in the u.s.; and
5. intends, on a continuing basis, to practice law actively in connecticut and to devote the major portion of working time to the practice of law in connecticut.

*the reciprocal jurisdictions (subject to change) are: alaska, colorado, district of columbia, georgia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, north carolina, north dakota, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, texas, utah, vermont, virginia, washington, west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming.
 
application deadline: not applicable
 
application/admission fees: $1,000.00 non-refundable fee.
 
with bar examination
examination required for all other applicants.
 
examination components:
1. academic: mbe and 12 state essays.
2. ethics: mpre scaled score of 80 or a passing grade in a course on professional responsibility. mpre scores are transferable from another jurisdiction for four years. applicant may also submit evidence of satisfactory completion of a course in professional responsibility/legal ethics offered by a law school.
 
examination dates:
february (deadline: december 31 of the preceding year; apply between november 1 and december 31)
july (deadline: may 31; apply between april 1 and may 31)
 
application/admission fee: $450.00 non-refundable fee.
 
 
other state bar requirements:
 
1. minimum age: 18
 
2. character check by the connecticut bar examining committee prior to admission.
 
3. graduate of an aba-approved (or provisionally approved) law school at the time of graduation or a law school approved by the connecticut bar examining committee.
 
4. required annual fees: the connecticut department of revenue charges an annual attorney occupational tax. currently, the tax is $450.00.
 
 
regulation of in-house counsel
 
connecticut does not have special rules for in-house counsel.
 
 
bar association status:
 
[ ] mandatory
 
[x] voluntary
annual dues: annual dues vary depending on date of admission, age, and out-of-state residency.
 
 
specialty certification
 
connecticut rule of professional conduct 7.4a permits an attorney to state or imply that he/she is a certified specialist where certification is granted "by a board or other entity which is approved by the rules committee of the superior court…" lawyers may be certified as specialists in the following fields of law: