Applying
for Admission without Examination
Iowa
offers admission without examination (admission on motion) for attorneys
licensed in another state or the District of Columbia who can demonstrate a
prolonged period of the actual practice of law without significant character or
fitness problems.
What are the
basic requirements for admission on motion?
The applicant must:
·
have
been admitted to another state of the United States or the District of
Columbia,
·
have
practiced law five full years while licensed within the seven years immediately
preceding the date of the application and still holds a law license,
·
be
of good moral character, and
·
file
a certificate of admission, a certificate of regular practice, a certificate of
good moral character, and a completed fingerprint card with the Office of
Professional Regulation.
Who is not
eligible for admission on motion?
An applicant is not eligible for
admission on motion if:
·
the
applicant is currently subject to lawyer discipline in another jurisdiction,
·
the
applicant failed the Iowa bar examination within five years of the date of the
application, or
·
the
applicant has failed five or more bar examinations.
What is the
fee for filing an application for admission on motion?
There
are two fees for admission on motion. An
administrative filing fee of $325 is paid to the Office of Professional
Regulation. The fee required by the
National Conference of Bar Examiners is paid to them at the time the electronic
application is filed.
What is the
filing process?
1)
Check to see that you meet all eligibility
requirements listed above.
2)
Request and complete the fingerprint card. See form below to request fingerprint
card.
3)
Send the fingerprint card, the $325 filing
fee by check made payable to "Board of Law Examiners," and the certificates
mentioned above to the address listed below.
David M. Ewert
Office of Professional Regulation
Judicial Branch Building, Second Floor
1111 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
·
NOTE: The certificates do not have to be
filed at the time the application is filed and fee is paid. However, if they are not filed within one or
two months after the application is filed, they may delay consideration of your
application.
4)
Complete the electronic application and file
it with the National Conference of Bar Examiners. You can reach the application by:
http://www.ncbex.org/character-and-fitness/character-and-fitness-electronic-application/
From this link, applicants click on Create Account, click
to agree with the user agreement, and then choose Iowa from the list of
jurisdictions.
Pay the investigative fee to the
National Conference of Bar Examiners at the time the electronic application is
filed. Do not send a copy of the
application to the Office of Professional Regulation. The National Conference of Bar Examiners will
submit the application to the Office of Professional Regulation when the
character and fitness examination is complete.
·
NOTE:
Applications must be completed online.
If you are unable to complete the online application, you must contact
the Office of Professional Regulation to request an exemption from the online
filing requirement. The administrative filing
fee should be sent to the Office of Professional Regulation contemporaneously
with the online filing of the application with the National Conference of Bar
Examiners. If the fee is not received
within 10 days after the application is filed, the application will be deleted
and the applicant will have to file a new and complete application.
5)
Please remember that you have a continuing
duty to update your application. Updates
must be filed with the Office of Professional Regulation and the National
Conference of Bar Examiners. Any failure
to promptly update an aspect of your application may result in denial of the
application or disciplinary sanctions.
For
other questions on admission on motion, please review Iowa
Court Rules 31.12 and 31.13 or review the answers to frequently
asked questions.
Complete this
form to submit an electronic request for a fingerprint card:
