All Latest News
February 2020 Bar Examination Results Have Been Released
To view the list of names of applicants who passed the examination, click here. For information on being sworn-in, click here.
Supreme Court of Georgia Approves Provisional Admission to the Practice of Law - FORMS NOW AVAILABLE
To view the Supreme Court Order on Provisional Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia click here.
On April 17, 2020, the Supreme Court of Georgia issued an order authorizing Provisional Admission to the Practice of law for certain recent law graduates and applicants licensed in another United States jurisdiction. The Court's order allows eligible applicants to practice law under certain conditions while preparing for the Georgia bar examination or awaiting his or her examination results.
ELIGIBILITY
Recent Law Graduates
An applicant who graduated with a J.D. or qualifying LL.M. degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association in the 18 months preceding the filing of his or per Petition for Provisional Admission and who:
- has never failed the bar examination in any jurisdiction;
- has current certification fo fitness from the Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants;
- is certified by the dean or a member of the faculty of the law school from which he or she graduated as competent to practice law under supervision [An original letter from the dean or a faculty member certifying a petitioner's competence to practice law under supervision must be submitted to the Office of Bar Admissions by the law dean or faulty member via electronic mail directed to gabaradmissions@gasupreme.us or regular mail directed to the Office of Bar Admissions] and
- has not yet sat for the Georgia bar examination or has taken the Georgia bar examination and has not yet been notified of his or her score
is eligible for provisional admission.
CLICK HERE for the Petition for Provisional Admission for Recent Law Graduates
Lawyers Admitted in Another U.S. Jurisdiction
An applicant who is currently admitted by examination to the practice of law in another U.S. jurisdiction, who plans to sit for the Georgia bar examination, and who:
- is in good standing in every jurisdiction in which he or she is admitted;
- is not the subject of any pending disciplinary proceedings in any jurisdiction;
- has current certification of fitness form the Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants; and
- is ineligible for admissions without examination under Part c of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia
is eligible for provisional admission.
CLICK HERE for the Petition for Provisional Admission for Lawyers Admitted in Another U.S. Jurisdiction
Duration of Provisional Admission
Authorization to engage in the practice of law pursuant to the Court's Provisional Admission Order expires 30 days after release of the results of the second Georgia bar examination for which an applicant could have sat after submitting a Petition for Provisional Admission. In addition, authority to practice under supervision will automatically expire if an applicant:
- fails to register or sit for the second Georgia bar examination after such person submits his or her Petition for Provisional Admission;
- has his or her fitness certification suspended or revoked by the Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants; or
- fails the Georgia bar examination.
Process for Seeking and Registering For Provisional Admission
Applicants who seek provisional admission must submit to the Board of Bar Examiners a Petition for Provisional Admission, as well as all required documents establishing their eligibility for provisional admission.
Upon determination by the Board of Bar Examiners that an applicant is eligible for provisional admission, it will issue to the applicant: (1) a Certificate of Provisional Admission for the applicant's use; and (2) a written oath, which the applicant will promptly execute and return to the Office of Bar Admissions for filing. CLICK HERE to view the Oath of Persons Provisionally Admitted to the Practice of Law.
Once the signed oath is filed with the Office of Bar Admissions, the applicant must register with the State Bar of Georgia and satisfy all State Bar of Georgia registration requirements.
CLICK HERE to view information from the State Bar of Georgia regarding Provisional Admission.
All documents to be submitted to the Board of Bar Examiners or the Office of Bar Admissions should be mailed to:
Office of Bar Admissions
Nathan Deal Judicial Center
330 Capitol Square, S.E., L200
Atlanta, GA 30334
DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR SUBMISSION OF FORMS FOR ADA ACCOMMODATION FOR SEPTEMBER 2020 BAR EXAM
The deadline for submission of completed ADA forms to the Office of Bar Admissions for consideration of requests for testing accommodations for the September 2020 Bar Exam has been extended to June 1, 2020. To access the ADA forms, please click the Application Forms tab on our website and scroll to the ADA Accommodation heading.
Supreme Court of Georgia Announces July 2020 Bar Exam Rescheduled
To view the Press Release, click here.
How is COVID-19 Affecting the Georgia Office of Bar Admissions? (Updated April 17, 2020)
To review the FAQs, click here.
Effective July 2019 Exam, Drinking Water in Clear, Plastic, Disposable, Unlabeled Bottles Only
Drinking water in clear, plastic, disposable, unlabeled bottles ONLY will be allowed inside the Examination Room. Drinking water in any other type bottle is PROHIBITED. Prohibited items must be placed in the gray trash cans at the exam site. Items placed in the gray trash cans will be treated as trash, and they will be discarded.
Effective Immediately Military Spouse Attorney Waiver Process and Policy
WAIVER PROCESS AVAILABLE FOR MILITARY SPOUSE ATTORNEYS SEEKING ADMISSION IN GEORGIA
Georgia generally permits admission on motion without examination for applicants who demonstrate they received a J.D. degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association, are admitted to practice by examination in the bar of the highest court of another United States jurisdiction with which Georgia has reciprocity for bar admissions purposes, and have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven years immediately preceding the date upon which the applicant's petition for admission on motion is submitted. See Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia (Rules), Part C, Section 2.
The Board of Bar Examiners recognizes that these eligibility requirements may be difficult to satisfy for attorney spouses of active duty military personnel, who frequently are transferred to new duty stations in states where they are not admitted to practice. Many of these attorney spouses of active duty military are not eligible for admission on motion without examination under Part C, Section 2 of the Rules, either because they are licensed in jurisdictions that do not have reciprocity with Georgia or they do not have the requisite years of experience in the practice of law as required under the Rules. See Rules, Part C, Sections 2 (b) and (e). Those facing this situation are encouraged to apply to the Board of Bar Examiners for a waiver of strict compliance with the reciprocity and/or practice requirements. See Part F, Section 5 of the Rules for information about waivers.
For purposes of the waiver process, a "military spouse attorney" is defined as a person who is:
(a) An attorney at law who has been admitted by examination to membership in the bar of the highest court of another United States jurisdiction;
(b) The spouse of an active duty member, including but not limited to members called to active duty under Title 10 of the United States Code, of the United States Uniformed Services as defined by the Department of Defense of the United States (or, for the Coast Guard, when it is not operating in the service of the Navy, by the Department of Homeland Security); and
(c) The spouse of a service active duty member who is on military orders stationed or home-ported in the State of Georgia.
To be considered a "military spouse attorney," an applicant must meet all three of the above-listed criteria.
Documentation establishing that an applicant is a military spouse attorney will be viewed by the Board as some evidence of good cause for waiver of the reciprocity and/or active practice requirement under Part C, Section 2 (e) of the Rules. In deciding whether sufficient evidence of good cause for a waiver has been established, the Board will also consider evidence related to an applicant's competence in the practice of law, including but not limited to, evidence of the applicant's legal education and employment history, as well as evidence prescribed under the Instructions and Checklist for Filing Petition for Waiver of Admission on Motion Requirements for Admission of a Military Spouse Attorney to the Practice of Law in Georgia.
For more information about the waiver process, please contact the Director of the Office of Bar Admissions at (404) 656-3490.
Notice Regarding Inclement Weather
In the event of inclement weather, the Georgia Bar Examination will proceed as scheduled as long as the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Georgia, remains open. To determine if the Convention Center remains open, please check www.collegeparkga.com. You may also check our website (www.gabaradmissions.org), WSBTV and www.wsbtv.com for information on the status of the Georgia Bar Examination. If severe weather is predicted for the days of the Bar Examination, please plan accordingly. Late applicants will not be allowed to make up any time lost.
In the rare event of a power outage that requires the use of the Center’s generator, all applicants will handwrite the remainder of the exam.