Amendments to the Rules
Effective November 1, 2022
The Supreme Court amended various rules, primarily affecting the fee structure for the Office of Bar Admissions.
Effective July 9, 2015
The Supreme Court amended:
Part B, Sections 2(b) and (c) (Applications for Examinations) to reflect a change in the payment procedure for the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). and
Part B, Section 6(d) (Examinations) to reflect that Civil Procedure has been added to the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). and
Part B, Section 8(e) (Grading of the Examination and Notification of Results) to add a provision that a passing score on the Bar examination is valid for three years from the date of the general release of grades for that examination. and
Part C, Section 2(b) (Eligibility) to delete the provision regarding higher fees for Admission on Motion applicants from jurisdictions with higher fees.
Effective October 20, 2014
The Supreme Court amended:
Part A, Section 5 (a)-(d) and Part C, Section 4 to reflect decreases in filing fees and to add a new subsection (l) to Part A, Section 5 (Failure to Register with the State Bar of Georgia).
Effective September 4, 2014
The Supreme Court amended:
Part B, Section 1(c) reflect a fee increase for each member of the Board of Bar Examiners.
Effective February 21, 2014
The Supreme Court amended:
Part B, Section 4 to add educational eligibility requirements for foreign-educated lawyers.
Effective December 11, 2013
The Supreme Court amended:
Part A, Section 4 (Application Deadline) by deleting subsection(c) regarding rolling over of fitness applications; and
Part B, Section 1(c)(Board of Bar Examiners) by clarifying reimbursable expenses.
Effective July 2, 2013
The Supreme Court amended:
Part B, Board of Bar Examiners, Section 3 (Refunds);
Part B, Board of Bar Examiners, Section 4 (a) (1), (2) (Educational Requirements) and Part D, Attorneys' Examination, Section 2 (Eligibility) to reflect the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the successor organization; and
Part F, General Provisions, Section 7 (Filings).
Effective May 2, 2013
The Supreme Court amended Part A, Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants, Section 2 (Duties), Section 6(a) (Investigation of Applicants) and Section 11 (Certification of Fitness to Practice Law) and Part E, Licensure of Foreign Law Consultants, Section 2(e) (Proof Required). These amendments substitute "character and fitness" for "integrity and character."
Effective July 7, 2011
The Supreme Court amended
Part A, Section 1(a) of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia. This amendment changes the composition of the Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants and changes the selection and terms of the chair and vice-chair.
Effective January 8, 2010
The Supreme Court amended
Part A, Section 5 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia. This amendment confirms that the filing fee for the Application for Certification of Fitness to Practice Law filed with the petition for Admission on Motion without Examination pursuant to Part C, Section 4(a) of the Rules is non-refundable.
Further, the Supreme Court amended
Part B, Section 13. The amendments pertain to post-examination reviews of answers and removes the provision for making duplicate copies of answers at the time of taking the examination.
Further, the Supreme Court amended the heading of
Part B, Section 14 to conform to the text of the Rule.
Effective October 7, 2009
The Supreme Court amended
Part F, Section 4 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia. The amendment specifies the information that may be provided to the National Conference of Bar Examiners for dissemination for accreditation purposes to the American Bar Association.
Effective September 2, 2009
The Supreme Court amended
Part B, Section 7 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia. The amendment to Part B, Section 7 eliminates the requirement that an applicant must sit out the next available examination after failing the examination three times.
The Supreme Court also amended
Part F, Section 5 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia. The amendment to Part F, Section 5 requires that each petition for waiver of the educational requirements of the Rules must be accompanied by a non-refundable fee of $250.
Effective August 1, 2009
The Supreme Court amended
Part B, Section 2 (b); Part B, Section 2 (e) of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia. The amendment to Part B, Section 2(b) reflects the increase in the Bar Examination application fee. The amendment to Part B, Section 2(e) is a technical amendment.
The Supreme Court also amended
Part F of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia. The amendment to Part F adds a new Section 2 on Fees which provides that Bar admission fees are to be set annually by the Supreme Court, based on the direct and indirect costs of administering the fitness investigation process and the Bar Examination.
Effective February 5, 2009
Effective October 15, 2008
Effective September 3, 2008
The Supreme Court amended
Part A, Section 10 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia.
Effective February 6, 2008
The Supreme Court has amended
Part B, Section 2, Application for Examinations, of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia.
Effective September 16, 2006
Effective July 6, 2005
The following order was passed by the Honorable Supreme Court of Georgia:
It is ordered that Part B, Section 7 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law be amended to read as follows:
Section 7: Re-Examination
There shall be no limit on the number of times an applicant may take the examination. However, once an applicant fails the examination three (3) times, the applicant will not be eligible to sit for the next available examination.
If this applicant fails any subsequent examination, the applicant must sit out the next available examination.
Effective October 2, 2003
The Supreme Court of Georgia amended
Part B, Section 6(c) concerning the subjects covered on the essay portion of the bar exam.
Effective January 1, 2003