Colorado
Common questions
Can a lawyer be admitted in Colorado without taking the bar exam (admission on motion)?
Admission on motion available. Admitted by examination in another US jurisdiction; ABA-approved JD/LLB; primarily engaged in active practice for 3 of 5 years preceding application; good standing; no discipline; character and fitness; must pass MPRE prior to admission
Does Colorado accept a transferred Uniform Bar Exam score?
UBE score transfer accepted; passing score per Supreme Court standards; taken within 3 years preceding motion
What are the pro hac vice requirements and fee in Colorado state courts?
Local counsel: Yes: must designate an associate attorney admitted and licensed in Colorado. Fee: $300 per action, paid to Office of Attorney Registration with motion; no additional fee for appellate appearances in same action.
Admission on motion
- Requirements
- Admitted by examination in another US jurisdiction; ABA-approved JD/LLB; primarily engaged in active practice for 3 of 5 years preceding application; good standing; no discipline; character and fitness; must pass MPRE prior to admission
- Years of practice
- Have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law for three of the five years immediately preceding the date the application is filed
- Reciprocity
- No reciprocity requirement found.
- Reciprocity states
- Not applicable: no reciprocity
- Fee
- $1,800 (instructions rev. 4/2023; NCBE report separate)
- Rule
- C.R.C.P. 203.2
- UBE score transfer
- UBE score transfer accepted; passing score per Supreme Court standards; taken within 3 years preceding motion
- UBE score window
- UBE taken within the three years immediately preceding the date the motion is filed
- MPRE
- Passing score as determined by the Supreme Court, valid if achieved not more than five years before acceptance of the application for admission in Colorado
- Other routes
- Rule 204.4 military spouse certification (ABA JD, active status, good standing, character and fitness, professionalism course within 6 months); in-house counsel rule not detailed; Rules 205.3-205.5 limited licensing/pro hac vice.
- Foreign attorneys
- Foreign law graduates with LL.B., J.D. or equivalent from school outside U.S. can be exempt from standard degree requirement if they meet one of three eligibility categories involving accredited foreign school, good standing, practice or LL.M.
- Military spouse
- Available as Military Spouse Certification temporary limited license/certification
1 not found in the pulled documents
- UBE minimum
- Not in the pulled documents
State-court pro hac vice
- Rule
- C.R.C.P. 205.3, 205.4, 205.5
- Local counsel
- Yes: must designate an associate attorney admitted and licensed in Colorado.
- Limits
- No numerical limit or residency bar stated in the OARC checklist; rule text not reviewed.
- Fee
- $300 per action, paid to Office of Attorney Registration with motion; no additional fee for appellate appearances in same action.
- Procedure
- Verified motion and affidavit (Rule 205.3(2) items) filed with the court/tribunal; copy plus fee to OARC simultaneously (mail, courier or email PDF); OARC reviews for compliance.
Language from the source documents
9 quoted passages
On motion
(c) Have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law in one or more other jurisdictions in the United States for three of the five years immediately preceding the date upon which the application is filed;coloradolegalregulation.com
On-motion rule
RULE 203.2 APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION ON MOTION BY QUALIFIED OUT- OF -STATE ATTORNEYScoloradolegalregulation.com
UBE transfer
(a) Have earned a UBE score that is passing, based upon the general standards of performance set by the Supreme Court, in an administration of the UBE taken within the three years immediately preceding the date upon which the motion is filed;coloradolegalregulation.com
Other routes
Single Client Pro Hac Vice Foreign Legal Consultant Judge Advocate (JAG) Military Spouse Certification Law Professor Certification Practice Pending Admission Law Student Practice Pro Bono Certificationcoloradolegaladmissions.com
Pro hac vice rule
Out-of-State Attorney Pro Hac Vice Instructions (C.R.C.P. Rule 205.3, 205.4, and 205.5)coloradolegalregulation.com
Local counsel
(b) Designate an associate attorney who is admitted and licensed to practice law in Colorado (see Rule 205.3(3)); ANDcoloradolegalregulation.com
Pro hac vice fee
The required filing fee of $300.00 is paid to our Office and must accompany each attorney’s motion when filed with our office and for each action (see 205.3(4)).coloradolegalregulation.com
MPRE
For other applicants under this Rule, a passing score will be valid if it was achieved at an examination taken not more than five years before acceptance of the application for admission in Colorado.coloradolegalregulation.com
Foreign attorneys
An applicant who receives an LL.B., J.D., or equivalent degree from a school of higher education in a nation other than the United States can be exempt from the requirements of section (3) in this rule provided that such applicant meets all of the requirements of at least one of the following three eligibility categories:coloradolegalregulation.com