Obtaining A Law License In Texas: A Guide

To become a licensed lawyer in Texas, you must pass the Texas Bar Examination. However, there are some circumstances in which you can be licensed without taking the exam. To be eligible for this, you must:

- Hold a J.D. from an ABA-approved U.S. law school or satisfy each element of a Rule 13 exemption from the law study requirement

- Be licensed to practice law in another state

- Have been actively and substantially engaged in the lawful practice of law as your principal business or occupation for at least 5 of the 7 years immediately preceding your application

- Be certified by the Board as having present good moral character and fitness

- Score 85 or higher on the MPRE

- Satisfy the requirements of Rule 2(a)(5)

- Register with the State Bar of Texas, pay bar dues, and pay a licensing fee

- Take the required Oath

- Complete the Justice James A. Baker Guide to Ethics and Professionalism in Texas no later than 12 months after being licensed

Texas Bar Exam

The Texas Bar Exam is a requirement for anyone who wants to practice law in the state of Texas. The exam is administered by the Texas Board of Law Examiners and is offered twice a year, in February and July.

To be eligible to take the Texas Bar Exam, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an ABA-approved law school in the US or satisfy the elements of a Rule 13 exemption from the law study requirement.
• Have not previously failed the Texas Bar Examination (for applications submitted before December 1, 2019).
• Be certified by the Board as having good moral character and fitness.
• Score 85 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).
• Satisfy the requirements of Rule 2(a)(5), which relates to citizenship or lawful presence in the US.
• Complete the Texas Law Component.
• Register with the State Bar of Texas, pay bar dues, and pay a licensing fee.
• Take the required Oath.
• Complete the Justice James A. Baker Guide to Ethics and Professionalism in Texas within 12 months of being licensed.

The application procedure for the Texas Bar Exam involves the following steps:

• Create a personal ATLAS account on the Texas Board of Law Examiners website.
• Complete an application for the Texas Bar Exam in your ATLAS account.
• Upload any required documents and keep originals on hand, as these may be requested.
• Electronically submit your application and pay the filing fee.
• Arrange for third parties to provide any additional documents.
• Update your contact information as needed while your application is pending.
• Complete the Texas Law Component.

Admission Without Examination

To be admitted to the Texas Bar without taking the Texas Bar Examination, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Hold a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an American Bar Association (ABA)-approved U.S. law school or satisfy each element of a Rule 13 exemption from the law study requirement.
• Be licensed to practice law in another state.
• Have been actively and substantially engaged in the lawful practice of law as your principal business or occupation for at least five of the seven years immediately preceding your application.
• Have passed the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) in another state with a minimum score of 270 within five years of applying.
• Be certified by the Board as having present good moral character and fitness.
• Score 85 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).
• Satisfy the requirements of Rule 2(a)(5).
• Be willing to take the required Oath.
• Complete the Justice James A. Baker Guide to Ethics and Professionalism in Texas no later than 12 months after being licensed.
• Register with the State Bar of Texas, pay bar dues, and pay a licensing fee.

The application procedure for Admission Without Examination (AWOX) is as follows:

• Create a personal ATLAS account on the Texas Board of Law Examiners website.
• Complete an AWOX application from your ATLAS account.
• Upload required documents and keep originals on hand, as they must be mailed to the Board upon request.
• Electronically submit your application and pay the filing fee.
• Arrange for third parties to provide documents to the Board.
• Update your mailing address, email address, and other information as needed while your application is pending.
• Complete the Texas Law Component.

Texas Law Component

The Texas Law Component is a licensing requirement established by Rule 2(a)(8) and Rule 5. It is satisfied by completing the Texas Law Course (TLC), which is a series of video presentations on Texas law from experienced Texas attorneys. Generally, anyone seeking admission to the bar of Texas must complete the Texas Law Component. This includes those applying to take the Texas bar exam, those seeking to transfer a UBE score to Texas, those applying for Admission Without Examination, and those applying for a Military Spouse Temporary License.

The Texas Law Component is available through the State Bar of Texas – TexasBarCLE. There is no cost for the course, but you’ll need to register as a user of TexasBarCLE before you can register for the Texas Law Component. Go to www.texasbarcle.com/TBLE, click "Register Now," and follow the prompts.

To complete the TLC, you will watch a series of lectures and answer some "hurdle questions" at the end of each segment. The hurdle questions are designed to ensure that you have a minimal level of comprehension of the segment you just watched. The questions are not intended to be tricky, difficult, or hard. If you pay attention to the lecture, and perhaps take a few notes, you should be able to get through the hurdle questions. You must successfully answer most of the hurdle questions in order to proceed to the next segment. The total length of the presentations is approximately 12 hours.

Texas Bar Exam Application

The Texas Bar Exam is a requirement for anyone who wishes to practice law in the state of Texas. The exam is administered by the Texas Board of Law Examiners (BLE).

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible to take the Texas Bar Exam, candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Hold a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school in the United States.
• Alternatively, candidates can satisfy the elements of a Rule 13 exemption from the law study requirement.
• Candidates must also be certified by the BLE as having present good moral character and fitness.

Application Procedure:

The application procedure for the Texas Bar Exam is as follows:

• Create a personal ATLAS account on the BLE website.
• Complete an application for the Texas Bar Exam through your ATLAS account.
• Upload all required documents. Keep the originals on hand, as they may be requested by the BLE.
• Electronically submit the application and pay the required filing fee.
• Arrange for third parties to provide any additional documents needed.
• Update your contact information as needed while your application is pending.

Deadlines:

It is important to note that the Texas Bar Exam has specific filing deadlines, which can be found on the BLE website. Missing these deadlines may result in late fees or the need to reapply for the next exam administration.

Laptop Registration:

If you plan to use a laptop for the exam, you will need to register it in advance. Information about laptop registration can be found on the BLE website.

Exam Sites and Dates:

The Texas Bar Exam is typically administered in February and July each year, at various exam sites across Texas. The specific dates and locations for the upcoming exam can be found on the BLE website.

Exam Format and Content:

The Texas Bar Exam consists of multiple components, including the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and Multistate Performance Test (MPT). It is important to familiarize yourself with the format and content of each section of the exam.

Accommodations:

If you require any accommodations during the exam due to a disability or other special circumstances, you can find information about how to request accommodations on the BLE website.

Results and Licensing:

After taking the Texas Bar Exam, candidates will receive their results, usually a few months after the exam. To become fully licensed to practice law in Texas, successful candidates must also meet additional requirements, including completing the Texas Law Course and registering with the State Bar of Texas.

For more detailed information and the most up-to-date guidelines, be sure to refer to the Texas Board of Law Examiners website.

Texas Bar Exam Results

The Texas Board of Law Examiners releases the results of the Texas Bar Exam 6-9 weeks after the administration of the bar examination. The results of the July exam are typically released in mid-October, while the results of the February exam are released in April. The Board will post a list of passing applicants on its website.

The Texas Bar Exam passing rates have fluctuated significantly from year to year. Below are the pass rates for the Texas Bar Exam over the past three years:

| Exam | Pass Rate |

|---|---|

| July 2024 | N/A |

| February 2024 | N/A |

| July 2023 | N/A |

| February 2023 | 63.2% |

| July 2022 | 70.4% |

| February 2022 | 63.2% |

The Board of Law Examiners will email a secure link to applicants at the email address associated with their ATLAS account when they release the results.

Frequently asked questions