oklahoma

bar admission administrative agency:

board of bar examiners
1901 north lincoln blvd
p.o. box 53036
state capitol station
oklahoma city, ok 73152-3036
tel: 405/416-7075
e-mail: admin@okbbe.com
website: http://www.okbar.org/admissions
website: http://www.okbbe.com

bar admission options:

without bar examination (rule two of the “rules governing admission to the practice of law in the state of oklahoma”)
1. reciprocity:
a. oklahoma has reciprocity with the following jurisdictions for admission without examination: alaska, colorado, connecticut, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new york, north carolina, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, tennessee, texas, vermont, virginia, washington, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming.
b. if your state requires the mpre of oklahoma attorneys applying for admission without examination, you must supply a passing score (scaled score of at least 75) on the mpre for admission to oklahoma. currently those states include alaska, colorado, illinois, kentucky, massachusetts, minnesota, nebraska, north carolina, north dakota, texas, and west virginia. oklahoma accepts the score from any administration of the mpre.

requirements for admission without examination:
a. must be lawfully admitted to practice, and be in good standing on active status in a reciprocal state;
b. must be engaged in the actual and continuous practice of law for a least five years of the seven years immediately preceding application for admission. for this purpose, “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 practice in the jurisdiction in which that practice occurred; or
2) practice as an attorney for a corporation, partnership, trust, individual or other entity, provided such practice was subsequent to being admitted to practice in the jurisdiction in which the practice occurred, and which practice 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; or
3) practice as an attorney for the federal, state, local government (including a u.s. territory, district, commonwealth or possession), branch of the armed services, or sovereign indian nation with the same primary duties as described above; or
4) employment as a judge, magistrate, referee, or similar official for the federal, state, or local government (including a u.s. territory, district, commonwealth or possession), provided that such employment is available only to attorneys; or
5) full-time employment as a law teacher at an aba-approved law school; or
6) any combination of the above.

the period of “practice of law” as defined above shall have occurred outside of oklahoma. no applicant for admission without examination will be admitted if the applicant has taken and failed an oklahoma bar examination without having later passed such examination.

2. special temporary permit: any person admitted to practice in another state who becomes a resident of oklahoma to accept or continue employment by a person, firm, association or corporation engaged in business in oklahoma other than the practice of law, whose full time is, or will be, devoted to the business of such employer, and who receives, or will receive, his or her entire compensation from such employer for applicant's legal services, may be granted a special temporary permit to practice law in oklahoma, without examination, so long as such person remains in the employ of, and devotes his or her full time to the business of, and receives compensation for legal services from no other source than applicant's said employer. upon the termination of such employment or transfer outside of oklahoma, the right of such person to practice in oklahoma shall terminate unless such person shall have been admitted to practice in oklahoma pursuant to some other rule.

3. temporary permit until the bar examination (rule nine of the the “rules governing admission to the practice of law in the state of oklahoma”: temporary permits to practice law until the conclusion of the next succeeding bar examination and report of the results thereof may be granted upon the recommendation of the board of bar examiners after a showing of public convenience and necessity and in the private sector where a case of extreme hardship is shown, provided the applicant has taken and passed the mpre. all applicants for temporary permit to practice law shall file with the board of bar examiners an application for such temporary permit in addition to regular application for admission to the bar examination.

4. law professors: a person admitted to practice in another state, and who is employed as a law professor at an aba-accredited oklahoma law school, may be granted a special temporary permit to practice in oklahoma, without examination, while such person is so employed and devotes his or her full time to the teaching of law in such employment. practice under such special temporary permit shall be limited to assisting attorneys licensed in oklahoma as a consulting or testifying expert, representing clients in a law school clinical program, or providing pro bono services. upon the termination of such employment, such special temporary permit shall terminate unless such person shall have been admitted to practice in this state pursuant to some other rule.

application deadline: not applicable.

application/admission fees:
1. reciprocity: $1,500.00, plus ncbe character and fitness investigation and report fee.
2. special temporary permit: $750.00, plus ncbe character and fitness investigation and report fee.
3. temporary permit until the bar examination: $150.00.
4. law professor: $100.00.

with bar examination
examination required for all other applicants.

examination components:
1. academic: mbe and state essays. mbe score may be transferred from another jurisdiction only if the examination is concurrent with the administration of the oklahoma bar examination..
2. ethics: mpre scaled score of 75 prior to examination and transferable from any jurisdiction.

examination dates:
february (deadline september 1).
july (deadline: february 1).

late applications with late fees are accepted until november 1 for the february examination and april 1 for the july examination.

application/admission fees:
$1,000.00 (attorneys admitted in another u.s. jurisdiction).
$300.00 (all other applicants to take the bar examination).

other state bar requirements:

1. minimum age: 18.

2. graduate of an aba- approved law school at the time of matriculation.

3. character and fitness determination.

4. required annual fees: $87.50 (1-3 years after admission); $175.00 (more than 3 years after admission). there is no charge during the first year of admittance.

regulation of in-house counsel

see “bar admission options, without bar examination, 2. special temporary permit,” above.

bar association status:

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

[ ] voluntary

specialty certification:

rule 7.4. of the “oklahoma rules of professional conduct” address specialization as follows:

(a) a lawyer may, by advertisement or otherwise, communicate the fact that the lawyer does or does not practice in particular fields of law or limits his practice to or concentrates in particular fields of law.
(b) a lawyer shall not state or imply that the lawyer is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law except as follows:
(1) a lawyer admitted to engage in patent practice before the u.s. patent and trademark office may use the designation "patent attorney" or a substantially similar designation;
(2) a lawyer engaged in admiralty practice may use the designation "admiralty," "proctor in admiralty" or a substantially similar designation; and
(3) a lawyer who is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law or law practice by the oklahoma supreme court may communicate that fact, but only in accordance with the rules prescribed by that court (note: to date, the oklahoma supreme court has not prescribed any rules governing specialty certification); and
(4) a lawyer who is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law or law practice by the official licensing authority of another state in which the lawyer is licensed may communicate that fact, but only in accordance with all rules and requirements of such state's licensing authority, and provided that the lawyer also communicates that such certification is not recognized by the oklahoma supreme court.

while rule 7.4 contains no per se prohibition against a lawyer stating that the lawyer is a "specialist," practices a "specialty," or "specializes in" particular fields, statements to this effect (like all communications concerning a lawyer's services) are subject to the "false or misleading standards set out in rule 7.1.