nevada

bar admission administrative agency:

board of bar examiners
state bar of nevada
600 east charleston blvd
las vegas, nv 89104
tel: 702/382-2200
fax: 702/382-6676
website: http://www.nvbar.org/

bar admission options:

without bar examination
nevada has no reciprocity or admission by motion of any kind. there are, however, a number of supreme court rules that carve out exceptions for the following categories, among others:
government/in-house counsel (supreme court rule 49.10)
an attorney admitted to practice law in any other jurisdiction who is employed exclusively for a single governmental entity or as in-house counsel for a single corporation (including its subsidiaries and affiliates), association, partnership, or other business entity situated in or qualified to do business in nevada, whose lawful business consists of activities other than the practice of law or the provision of legal services, may be admitted to limited practice in nevada. an application fee of $150.00 is required, as well as payment of an annual fee equivalent to the annual membership dues paid by active members of the state bar of nevada of comparable longevity. an attorney admitted under this rule may render legal advice and services to, and communicate and negotiate with third persons on behalf of, the attorney's employer, other employees, or the employer's subsidiaries and affiliates in matters related to the business of the employer.
law school clinical faculty exception (supreme court rule 49.1)
an attorney who has been admitted to practice law in any other jurisdiction, and who is employed as a full-time member of the faculty of the william s. boyd school of law as a clinical law professor acting in connection with the supervision of a clinical law program, may be admitted to practice in nevada, provided he or she has been admitted to practice law in another jurisdiction, and has been a member in good standing in such jurisdiction for at least 5 years; has taken and passed either the mpre with a scale score of at least 85 or an equivalent course in ethics taken during his or her law school attendance. an attorney admitted to practice under this rule shall perform no legal services within nevada except for clients aided under the auspices of the clinical law program of the william s. boyd school of law, and the attorney shall not accept any compensation for such services except such salary as may be paid to him or her by the william s. boyd school of law. clinical faculty members admitted to practice under this rule are not active members of the state bar of nevada.
legal services program exception (supreme court rule 49.3)
rule 49.3. limited practice for certain attorneys.
an attorney admitted to practice law in any other jurisdiction who becomes employed by or associated with an organized legal services program funded from state, federal or recognized charitable sources and providing legal assistance to indigents in civil matters, may be admitted to practice before all courts of nevada, provided he or she has taken and passed either the mpre with a scale score of at least 85 or an equivalent course in ethics taken during the attorney's law school attendance. an attorney admitted to practice under this rule shall perform no legal services within nevada except for clients aided under the auspices of the organized legal services program by which the attorney is employed or with which he is associated and for such purposes only, and the attorney shall not accept any compensation for such services except such salary as may be paid him by said organized legal services program or by a governmental body or charitable institution to enable him to work for said legal services program.
rural county deputy district attorneys exception (supreme court rule 49.4)
an attorney who is admitted to practice law in any other jurisdiction who becomes employed as a deputy district attorney by a county whose population is less than 100,000 persons may be admitted to practice before all courts of this state. an attorney admitted to practice under this rule shall perform no legal services within nevada except for the county which employs him.
rural county state deputy public defenders exception (supreme court rule 49.9)
an attorney admitted to practice in any other jurisdiction who becomes employed by the state public defender to practice in a county whose population is less than 100,000 persons, may be admitted to practice before all courts of this state. an attorney admitted to practice under this rule shall perform no legal services within nevada except for the office of the state public defender in counties whose population is less than 100,000.

with bar examination
examination required for all other applicants.

examination components:
1. academic: mbe, eight state essays, and one or more mpt questions.
2. ethics: mpre scaled score of 85 is transferable from another jurisdiction if taken either the year prior or the year during the year in which the applicant sits for and passes the bar exam.

examination dates:
july (deadline: february 1)
applications accepted with late fees until may 1.

note: a proposal is pending to add a february bar examination beginning in 2004.

application/admission fees:
$50.00 application fee; $325.00 examination fee; $525.00 (attorney applicant previously admitted to practice in any jurisdiction). $25.00 licensing fee which will be refunded only if applicant fails bar examination.

other state bar requirements:

1. minimum age: 18

2. graduate of a law school approved by the aba at the time of graduation.

3. attorney applicant must present a certificate of good standing from the highest admitting court of each state in which admitted. all other applicants must demonstrate good moral character.

4. required annual fees:
active members admitted to practice in any jurisdiction 5 years or more: $350.00
active members admitted to practice in any jurisdiction less than 5 years: $200.00
active members who are also members of the federal judiciary, regardless of years of admission to practice law in any jurisdiction: $100.00
inactive members receiving full services from the state bar of nevada, i.e., state bar publications and mailings: $75.00
inactive members receiving no services from the state bar of nevada: $25.00

regulation of in-house counsel:

see “without bar examination – government/in-house counsel,” above.

bar association status:

[x] mandatory (see required annual fees above.)

[ ] voluntary

specialty certification:

nevada does not have a speciality certification program.

a lawyer may communicate that the lawyer's practice is limited to the following or substantially similar fields of practice, and such others as are not false or misleading.

administrative agency matters
antitrust and trade regulation
appellate practice
banking law
bankruptcy law
constitutional law
construction law
consumer claims and protection
copyright and trademark law
corporate finance and securities law
corporation and business law
creditor and debtor law
criminal and traffic law
domestic relations and family law
environmental law
gaming law
government law
health care law
immigration and customs law
insurance law
international and foreign law
job discrimination and civil rights
labor law
legislative matters
military law
mining law
pension, profit sharing and employee benefit plans
personal injury and wrongful death claims
professional malpractice
public utility matters
real estate law
taxation law
water rights law
wills, estate planning and probate matters
workers compensation

not more than three designations are permitted under this rule. a law firm may use more than three designations, provided each attorney in the firm from whom a designation is derived is identified together with his or her fields of practice.

designation of limitation of practice shall be only in the following manner:

(i) if the lawyer accepts only legal matters in the designated fields of practice, they shall be preceded by the words "practice limited to . . ."; or
(ii) if the lawyer is practicing primarily in the designated fields of practice but also accepts other types of legal matters, the designated fields of practice shall be preceded by the words "practicing primarily in . . .".
(b) a communication in writing to the public of a field of practice permitted by this rule shall be accompanied by a prominent "notice to the public" in the following form:

neither the state bar of nevada nor any agency of the state bar has certified any lawyer identified here as a specialist or as an expert. anyone considering a lawyer should independently investigate the lawyer's credentials and ability.

prior to communication of a limitation of practice permitted by subsection 3 of this rule, a lawyer shall comply with the following requirements each calendar year and so state in writing to the board of continuing legal education:

(i) the lawyer must have devoted at least 300 hours each year to each separate designated field of practice for each of the preceding two calendar years; and
(ii) the lawyer must have completed at least six hours of accredited continuing legal education in each designated field of the practice during the preceding calendar year. the general exemptions and carry-forward provisions of the mcle rules do not apply.