ohio

bar admission administrative agency:

supreme court of ohio
rhodes state office tower
30 east broad street, 2nd floor
columbus, oh 43215-3431
tel: 614/466-1541 or 614/466-1540
fax: 614/995-4025
e-mail: admissions@sconet.state.oh.us
website: http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/
website: http://www.ohiobar.org

bar admission options:

without bar examination
1. attorney applicants: an applicant may apply for admission to practice in ohio without examination if all of the following apply:
(1) the applicant has taken and passed a bar examination and been admitted in the highest court of another state or the district of columbia, which jurisdiction shall be considered the jurisdiction from which the applicant seeks admission;
(2) the applicant has engaged in the practice of law, provided, however, that the practice of law:
(a) was engaged in subsequent to the applicant's admission in another jurisdiction;
(b) occurred for at least five full years out of the last ten years prior to the submission of an application to practice in ohio; and
(c) except for law teachers, was engaged in practice on a full-time basis outside ohio;
(3) the applicant has not taken and failed an ohio bar examination;
(4) the applicant has not engaged in the unauthorized practice of law;
(5) the applicant is a u.s. citizen or resident alien;
(6) the applicant intends to practice law in ohio actively on a continuing basis;
(7) the applicant satisfies the general admission requirements of rule i of the ohio rules of court rules for the government of the bar of ohio; and
(8) if applicable, the applicant has registered pursuant to rule vi, section 4 of the ohio rules of court rules for the government of the bar of ohio, relating to the regulation of in-house counsel (see below).

"practice of law" shall mean:
(1) private practice as a sole practitioner or for a law firm, legal services office, legal clinic or similar entity, provided such practice was subsequent to being admitted to the practice of law in the jurisdiction in which that practice occurred;
(2) practice as an attorney for a corporation, partnership, trust, individual, or other entity, provided such practice was subsequent to being admitted to the practice of law in the jurisdiction in which the practice occurred and involved the primary duties of furnishing legal counsel, drafting legal documents and pleadings, interpreting and giving advice regarding the law, or preparing, trying, or presenting cases before courts, executive departments, administrative bureaus, or agencies;
(3) practice as an attorney for the federal, a state or local government with the same primary duties as described in division (b)(2) above;
(4) employment as a judge, magistrate, referee, or similar official for the federal or a state or local government, provided that such employment is available only to attorneys;
(5) full-time employment as a teacher of law at a law school approved by the american bar association, whether or not such law school is located in ohio; or
(6) any combination of the above.

2. legal services/public defender exception: a person not admitted to practice in ohio may be certified to temporarily practice law in ohio for a period of one year (with an option to renew for an additional year) if:
(a) the person has earned a degree from an aba-accredited law school;
(b) the person has taken and passed a bar examination, and has been admitted and is in good standing as an attorney at law in the highest court of another u.s. state, territory, or the district of columbia;
(c) the person has not taken and failed the ohio bar examination;
(d) the person has not had an application for admission in ohio denied on character and fitness grounds;
(e) the person is employed by or associated with a legal services or public defender program that provides legal services solely to indigent clients, or is employed as a supervising attorney in a criminal or poverty law and litigation program administered by an aba-accredited ohio law school. for purposes of this rule, legal services program shall mean any organization that receives financial assistance from the state public defender pursuant to section 120.53 of the revised code.

application deadline: not applicable.

application/admission fees:
attorney applicants: $500.00 application fee, plus ncbe character and fitness report fee.

legal services/public defender applicants: $250.00 application fee, plus ncbe character and fitness report fee.

with bar examination
examination required for all other applicants.

examination components:
1. academic: mbe, 12 state essays, and two mpt questions.
2. ethics: mpre scaled score of 85 required.

examination dates:
february (application deadline: november 1 of the preceding year)
july (application deadline: april 1)

late applications are not accepted.

application/admission fees:
$50.00 registration fee; $225.00 examination fee; mpt fee payable to the ncbe; and ncbe character and fitness report fee

other state bar requirements:

1. minimum age: 21

2. bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

3. law degree from a law school approved by the aba at the time the degree was earned or, if not located in the u.s., from a law school evaluated and approved in accordance with division (c) of section 2 or division (c)(13) of section 9 of rule i of the ohio rules of court rules for the government of the bar of ohio; .

4. prior to examination or admission without examination, approved character check by the ohio board of commissioners on character and fitness (by report of the admissions committee), or by the ncbe if applicable.

5. required annual fees: $245.00 (if admitted in any state in 1997 or earlier); $125.00 (if admitted in any state from 1998-2002); $190.00 (if a full-time government-employed attorney admitted in any state in 1997 or earlier); $90.00 (if a full-time government-employed attorney admitted in any state from 1998-2002)

regulation of in-house counsel

registration for corporate status.
an attorney admitted to practice in another state, but not in ohio, and who is employed full-time by a nongovernmental ohio employer may register for corporate status by filing a certificate of registration and paying a $500 fee. the attorney registration section may require additional information and documents, including a certificate of admission and good standing from the state in which the attorney is admitted, from an attorney who registers for corporate status. registration may be renewed biennially only as long as the attorney is so employed.

authorized activities.
an attorney granted corporate status may perform legal services in ohio solely for a nongovernmental ohio employer, as long as the attorney is a full-time employee of that employer. an attorney granted corporate status may not practice before any court or agency of this state on behalf of the attorney's employer or any person except himself or herself, unless granted leave by the court or agency.

failure to register.
an attorney admitted to practice in another state, but not in ohio, who performs legal services in ohio for his or her employer, but fails to register or does not qualify to register may be referred for investigation of the unauthorized practice of law.

bar association status:

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

[ ] voluntary

specialty certification

certification programs:

the ohio supreme court commission on certification of attorneys as specialists is the approval authority for specialty certification programs. the commission approves and regulates agencies that certify lawyers practicing in ohio as specialists. the commission has accredited the following agencies:

american board of certification
   business bankruptcy law
   consumer bankruptcy law
national board of trial advocacy
   civil law trial advocacy
   criminal law trial advocacy
   family law trial advocacy
national elder law foundation
   elder law
ohio state bar association
   ohio workers’ compensation law
   family relations law
   federal taxation law
   labor & employment law
   estate planning, trust and probate law

the ohio state bar association has also proposed certification programs in business commercial & industrial real property law and residential real property law. creditors’ rights/debt collection law has been approved as a specialty area, but not certification program has been designated.

communication of specialization to the public:

ohio certified specialists
a certified specialist may communicate the fact that he or she is certified by the certifying agency as a specialist in the field of law involved. a specialist shall not represent, expressly or impliedly, that he or she is certified by the supreme court or the commission or by an entity other than the certifying agency. a specialist may represent that the certifying agency is approved by the commission, but shall not represent that the certifying agency is approved by the supreme court of ohio.

non-ohio certified specialists
disciplinary rule 2-105 of the ohio rules of court code of professional responsibility governs specialty advertising by attorneys who are not certified specialists pursuant to the approved programs listed above:
*a lawyer admitted to practice before the united states patent office may use the designation "patents," "patent attorney," or "patent lawyer," or any combination of those terms, on his letterhead and office sign.
*a lawyer engaged in the trademark practice may use the designation "trademarks," "trademark attorney," or "trademark lawyer," or any combination of those terms, on his letterhead and office sign
*a lawyer engaged in the admiralty practice may use the designation "admiralty," "proctor in admiralty," or "admiralty lawyer," or any combination of those terms, on his letterhead and office sign.
*a lawyer may permit his name to be listed in lawyer referral service offices according to the fields of law in which he will accept referrals.
*a lawyer who has received certification from a private organization of special training, competence, or experience in a particular field of law may communicate the fact of the certification only if the certifying organization is bona fide, certification is issued only to lawyers who meet objective and consistently applied standards relevant to practice in that field of law that are higher than those required for admission to the practice of law, and certification is available to all lawyers who meet the standards. any communication regarding certification shall contain a statement that the certifying organization is not approved by the supreme court commission on certification of attorneys as specialists.
*a lawyer may state that his or her practice consists in large part or is limited to a field or fields of law. except as provided above, a lawyer may not claim or imply special competence or experience in a field of law through use of the term "specialize."