Louisiana
Common questions
Can a lawyer be admitted in Louisiana without taking the bar exam (admission on motion)?
Not available. No admission on motion. Must pass LA bar exam (jurisdiction-drafted, not UBE); ABA JD; MPRE min 80 (NCBE chart).
Does Louisiana accept a transferred Uniform Bar Exam score?
No. Louisiana does not administer or accept UBE scores (NCBE chart: jurisdiction-drafted exam).
What are the pro hac vice requirements and fee in Louisiana state courts?
Local counsel: Yes. Must associate with Louisiana-licensed attorney, who remains responsible to client and files ex parte motion. Fee: $450 to Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (2015 rule text; LSBA Bar Journal June/July 2023 still states $450; Beck Redden 2021 summary said $250, likely outdated); waived for pro bono/indigent criminal-habeas. Court filing fees extra.
Admission on motion
- Requirements
- No admission on motion. Must pass LA bar exam (jurisdiction-drafted, not UBE); ABA JD; MPRE min 80 (NCBE chart).
- Years of practice
- Not applicable: no admission on motion
- Reciprocity
- Rule XVII Sec. 11 VERBATIM (via lalegalethics.org quoting rule): "No person shall be admitted to the Bar of this state based solely upon the fact that such person is admitted to the Bar of another state or because the laws of another state would grant admission to a member of the Bar of this state."
- Reciprocity states
- None: stated in the source documents (stated in source)
- Fee
- Not applicable: no admission on motion
- Rule
- La. Sup. Ct. Rule XVII (Sec. 3, Sec. 11)
- UBE score transfer
- No. Louisiana does not administer or accept UBE scores (NCBE chart: jurisdiction-drafted exam).
- UBE minimum
- Not applicable: this state does not accept transferred UBE scores
- UBE score window
- Not applicable: this state does not accept transferred UBE scores
- MPRE
- 80
- Other routes
- Limited renewable 4-year in-house counsel license for out-of-state attorneys exclusively employed by corporation/subsidiaries/affiliates/association
- Foreign attorneys
- Yes - graduate of law school not located in the United States or its territories must submit application for equivalency determination in accordance with Section 6 Rule XVII
1 not found in the pulled documents
- Military spouse
- Not in the pulled documents
State-court pro hac vice
- Rule
- La. Sup. Ct. Rule XVII, Sec. 13
- Local counsel
- Yes. Must associate with Louisiana-licensed attorney, who remains responsible to client and files ex parte motion.
- Limits
- Court may deny if frequent appearances constitute regular practice; motion not entertained within 30 days of scheduled trial/hearing absent extraordinary circumstances; temporary-presence/residency concern (applicant should neither reside nor be regularly employed in LA per secondary summary).
- Fee
- $450 to Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (2015 rule text; LSBA Bar Journal June/July 2023 still states $450; Beck Redden 2021 summary said $250, likely outdated); waived for pro bono/indigent criminal-habeas. Court filing fees extra.
- Procedure
- Verified Application for Pro Hac Vice Admission filed with Disciplinary Board (signed by both lawyers) + fee; Disciplinary Counsel approves/disapproves; in-state attorney then files written ex parte motion attaching Disciplinary Counsel letter; serve on all parties.
Language from the source documents
7 quoted passages
On motion
No person shall be admitted to the Bar of this state based solely upon the fact that such person is admitted to the Bar of another state or because the laws of another state would grant admission to a member of the Bar of this state.lalegalethics.org
Other routes
Louisiana law allows in-house c ounsel to apply for a renewable 14 limited 4-year license if: (1) the attorney is admitted in another state; and (2) is exclusively employed in Louisiana by a corporation, its subsidiaries or affiliates, an association, and/or a busin ess whose activity is not practicing law.beckredden.com
Pro hac vice rule
In 2004, the Louisiana Supreme Court adopted Supreme Court Rule XVII § 13, which sets forth the re- quirements for pro hac vice admission in Louisiana’s state courts.lsba.org
Local counsel
The Rule requires the out-of-state attorney to first file an “Application for Pro Hac Vice Admission” with the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, verified by both the out-of-state attorney and in-state attorney with whom he or she intends to associatelsba.org
Pro hac vice fee
along with a $450 application fee (which is specifically distinct from any court filing fees for the subsequent motion).lsba.org
Foreign attorneys
If an applicant is a graduate of a law school that is not lo cated in the United States or its territories, such applicant must submit an application for an equivalency determin ation in accordance with Section 6 Rule XVII of the Louisiana Supreme Court.beckredden.com