GEORGIA

BAR ADMISSION ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY:
Supreme Court of Georgia
Office of Bar Admissions
P.O. Box 38466
Atlanta, GA 30334
Tel: 404/656-3490
Website: http://www.gabaradmissions.org/
Website: http://www.gabar.org/


BAR ADMISSION OPTIONS:

Without Bar Examination
A new reciprocity order went into effect on January 1, 2003.

Admission on Motion without Examination

SECTION 1. GENERAL
The Board of Bar Examiners may admit on motion without examination any attorney licensed in a U.S. jurisdiction other than Georgia if that attorney satisfies the criteria set out in Section 2, below. The attorney must also be certified for fitness before petitioning the Board of Bar Examiners to be admitted on motion without examination.

SECTION 2. ELIGIBILITY
In order to petition the Board of Bar Examiners to be admitted without examination, an attorney licensed in a state other than Georgia must meet the following eligibility criteria. The attorney:

• Must meet the educational eligibility requirements, including holding a first professional degree in law (JD or LL.B) from an ABA-approved law school at the time the graduate matriculated;
• Has been admitted by examination to membership in the bar of the highest court of another U.S. jurisdiction which has comity for bar admissions purposes with Georgia (see list below);
• Has never been denied certification of fitness to practice in Georgia or any other state;
• Has never taken and failed the Georgia Bar Examination;
• Has been primarily engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven years immediately preceding the date upon which the application is filed;
• Has at all times been in good professional standing in every jurisdiction in which the applicant has been licensed to practice law;
• Has never been the subject of private or public professional discipline of any nature, including formal letters of admonition, in any U.S. jurisdiction; and
• Has received Certification of Fitness to Practice Law in Georgia from the Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants.

• representation of one or more clients in the practice of law;
• service as a lawyer with a local, state or Federal agency, including military service;
• teaching law at an ABA-approved law school;
• service as a judge in a Federal, state or local court of record;
• service as a judicial law clerk; or
• service as corporate counsel.

For purposes of this Rule, the “active practice of law” shall not include work that, as undertaken, constituted the unauthorized practice of law in the jurisdiction in which it was performed or in the jurisdiction in which the clients receiving the unauthorized services were located.

SECTION 4. FEES AND FILING INSTRUCTIONS
Applications for Certification of Fitness to Practice Law for admission pursuant to this Rule shall be made in accordance with the requirements established in Part A of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia and shall be accompanied by a non-refundable fee of $800. Once certified for fitness, the applicant must file a petition with the Board of Bar Examiners requesting admission on motion without examination. The petition must contain a statement that the applicant intends to engage in the practice of law in Georgia and must be accompanied by a non-refundable fee of $500. Once the Board of Bar Examiners has approved the petition, the applicant shall be issued a Certification of Eligibility for Admission to the Practice of Law. The applicant shall follow the procedures specified in Part B, Sections 14, 15, 16 and 17 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia in order to be sworn in by a judge of the Superior Court.

It is ordered that Part B, Section 4(c) of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law be amended to read as follows:

With Bar Examination
Examination required for all applicants.

Applicants must first file an application for certification of fitness to practice law and be approved by the Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants before taking the bar examination. Attorney applicants who qualify may take the Attorneys' Examination in lieu of the General Bar Examination.

Application for Certification of Fitness deadlines:
February 2004 Bar Examination (July 2, 2003)
July 2004 Bar Examination (December 3, 2003)
February 2005 Bar Examination (July 7, 2004)
July 2005 Bar Examination (December 1, 2004)
February 2006 Bar Examination (July 6, 2005)
July 2006 Bar Examination (December 7, 2005)

Applications with a late fee of $200.00 will be accepted between the first Wednesday in July and the first Wednesday in October for the February examination; and between the first Wednesday in December and the first Wednesday in March for the July examination.

Application for Certification of Fitness fees:
$300.00 (filing prior to award of first professional law degree)
$450.00 (filing made between award of first professional law degree and within one year thereafter).
$600.00 (filing made more than one year after award of first professional law degree)
$800.00 (applications for Attorneys' Examination or Admission on Motion Without Examination).

Bar Examination Components - Attorneys' Examination:
Academic: Essay portion of the Georgia Bar Examination: (passing score of 135 required) and the MPT.
To qualify for this examination, an attorney must:
(a) Have been awarded an undergraduate degree by a college or university which has been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and who has been awarded the first professional degree in law (JD or LLB) by an ABA-approved law school; and who
(b) Is not now and never has been admitted to practice in Georgia, but who has been
admitted by examination to membership in the bar of the highest court of another U.S. jurisdiction at least 12 months prior to the date of taking the Gerogia Attorneys' Examination, and who is currently a member in good standing thereof; and who
(c) Has received certification of fitness to practice law from the Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants; and who
(d) Has never been denied certification of fitness to practice in Georgia, who has not been
allowed to withdraw an Application for Certification of Fitness to Practice Law in lieu of
denial of certification of fitness to practice law; and who
(e) Has never taken and failed the Georgia Bar Examination; and who
(f) Has never been the subject of private or public lawyer discipline of any nature including a letter of admonition in any U.S. jurisdiction.

Bar Examination Components – Georgia Bar Examination:
1. Academic: MBE, four Georgia essays, and two MPT questions (a passing score of 270 is required).
2. Ethics: MPRE scaled score of 75 is transferable from any jurisdiction.

Examination Dates:
February (deadline: first Friday in January)
July (deadline: first Friday in June)

Application/Admission fees: $75.00 (Attorneys' Examination or General Bar Examination).


OTHER STATE BAR REQUIREMENTS:

1. Undergraduate degree from a college or university accredited by the accrediting body recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation (CORPA).

2. An applicant who has been awarded an undergraduate degree (BA, BS, BBA or their
equivalent) by an institution of higher learning which has not been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by CORPA shall be considered as satisfying the undergraduate educational requirement of these Rules if the applicant has received the first professional degree in law from an ABA-approved law school. If, however, the applicant is a graduate of a law school certified by the Georgia Board of Bar Examiners and the applicant has been awarded an undergraduate degree from an institution not recognized by CORPA, the applicant shall be considered to have satisfied the
undergraduate degree requirements of these Rules if, prior to the date of the examination he or she wishes to take, he or she has the College Board certify to the Board of Bar Examiners that he or she has passed the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) all
multiple-choice version of the General Examination in English Composition and any two of the following CLEP examinations: General Examination in Humanities; General Examination in Mathematics; General Examination in Natural Sciences; and General
Examination in Social Sciences and History.

3. Required annual fees: $210.00 active; $115.00 inactive. PLUS Mandatory Clients Security Funds Assessment of $20.00 if admitted after 7/1/97 and Mandatory Bar Facility Assessment of $50.00 if admitted after 7/1/98.


REGULATION OF IN-HOUSE COUNSEL:

Georgia bar admission rules do not address in-house counsel.


BAR ASSOCIATION STATUS:

[X] Mandatory (see “Required annual fees,” above)

[ ] Voluntary


SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION:

Under Georgia Model Rule 7.4 a lawyer may communicate a specialty gained by "experience, specialized training or education" or "certified by a recognized and bona fide professional entity", so long as the statement is not false or misleading.