iowa

bar admission administrative agency:

clerk of the supreme court
state capitol, room g-3
des moines, ia 50319
tel: 515/281-5911, ext. 3
fax: 515/242-6164
website: http://www.judicial.state.ia.us/

bar admission options:

without bar examination
a person may, in the discretion of the supreme court, be admitted to practice in iowa without examination if the person demonstrates that the following requirements are fully
satisfied:
a. the person has a bona fide intention to practice law in iowa.
b. the person has been admitted to the bar of any other u.s. state or the district of columbia, and has practiced law five full years while licensed within the seven years immediately preceding the date of the application, and still holds a license, provided that:
(1) law teaching as a full-time instructor in a law school approved by the aba section of legal education and admission to the bar in this state or some other state shall, for the purposes of this rule, be deemed the practice of law; and
(2) the period during which such person shall have discharged actual legal duties as a member of one of the u.s. armed services shall be considered as the practice of law for the purposes of this rule, if certified as such by the judge advocate general of such service; and
(3) service as an employee or officer of any business shall not constitute the practice of law for purposes of this rule unless such service would ordinarily constitute the practice of law and is performed in a jurisdiction in which the applicant has been admitted to practice.
c. the applicant is a person of honesty, integrity and trustworthiness, and one who will adhere to the code of professional responsibility adopted by the iowa supreme court.
d. the person provides such information as the court deems necessary and proper in connection with the application.

application deadline: not applicable.

application/admission fees: $575.00, plus ncbe fee for character and fitness investigation and report.

with bar examination
examination required for all other applicants.

examination components:
1. academic: mbe, eight iowa essays, and 2 mpt questions. combined scaled score of 266 required to pass. mbe score may transfer from another jurisdiction within two years of the deadline for filing the iowa bar application.
2. ethics: mpre scaled score of 80 is transferable from any jurisdiction within three years. mpre must be on record at time application is filed.

examination dates:
february (deadline: october 1 of the preceding year)
july (deadline: march 1)

application/admission fees: $325.00

other state bar requirements:

1. applicant must demonstrate a bona fide intention to practice law in iowa.

2. character check by the iowa board of law examiners.

3. graduate of an aba-approved law school.

4. required annual fees: $85.00, plus $25.00 or $50.00 (depending on professional category) for the client security fund. the client security fund fee is assessed annually until a maximum amount of $200.00 has been paid. judges and active duty military attorneys are exempt from these fees.

regulation of in-house counsel

iowa does not specifically address the regulation of in-house counsel.

bar association status:

[ ] mandatory

[x] voluntary
annual dues: $0.00 (members admitted to practice less than one year); $25.00 (members admitted to practice more than one year and less than four years); $75.00 (members admitted to practice more than three years and less than six years); $150.00 (members admitted to practice more than five years); $70.00 (non-resident members not actively practicing in iowa); $10.00 (active duty military members); $25.00 (members who have been admitted to the bar for a period of 50 years or more).

specialty certification:

iowa does not have a certification program and does not currently recognize aba-approved certification agencies. iowa rules limit attorneys’ claims of practice and claims of limitation of practice, and do not permit use the following terms: “specialist,” “specializing in,” “certified,” or “certified in.” however, an attorney may identify or describe his or her practice by reference to a specific field or fields of practice if it is one of the approximately 70 practice fields listed in the rules.