Maine
Common questions
Can a lawyer be admitted in Maine without taking the bar exam (admission on motion)?
Admission on motion available. 3 of 5 years immediately preceding motion in active practice; JD/LLB from ABA-approved school; MPRE (min 80 per NCBE) completed before filing; admitted and in good standing elsewhere; character & fitness; 15 CLE hours in Maine practice and procedure within 1 year; fee $1,000 plus NCBE character fee $105-$550. Residency/intent: not addressed.
Does Maine accept a transferred Uniform Bar Exam score?
Accepts UBE transfer; NCBE chart: legacy 270, NextGen 620, score max age 3 years (secondary; Maine UBE-transfer page not retrieved). No Maine-specific course/exam found.
What are the pro hac vice requirements and fee in Maine state courts?
Local counsel: Yes. VERBATIM: "An attorney so permitted to practice in a particular action shall at all times be associated in such action with a member of the bar of this state"; Maine bar member submits motion. Fee: $600 per Board of Overseers page (confirm amount/payee).
Admission on motion
- Requirements
- 3 of 5 years immediately preceding motion in active practice; JD/LLB from ABA-approved school; MPRE (min 80 per NCBE) completed before filing; admitted and in good standing elsewhere; character & fitness; 15 CLE hours in Maine practice and procedure within 1 year; fee $1,000 plus NCBE character fee $105-$550. Residency/intent: not addressed.
- Years of practice
- 3 of past 5
- Reciprocity
- None stated; any US state/territory/DC.
- Reciprocity states
- None: stated in the source documents (stated in source)
- Fee
- $1,000.00
- Rule
- Maine Bar Admission Rule 11A
- UBE score transfer
- Accepts UBE transfer; NCBE chart: legacy 270, NextGen 620, score max age 3 years (secondary; Maine UBE-transfer page not retrieved). No Maine-specific course/exam found.
- UBE minimum
- 270
- UBE score window
- 3 years
- MPRE
- 80, within 15 years prior to application
- Other routes
- Not found in pages reviewed (Maine Bar Rule 5.5 permits temporary multijurisdictional practice with local counsel association). House counsel/military spouse: NOT FOUND.
- Foreign attorneys
- Yes - foreign law graduates with equivalent education must have been admitted in that country or by US examination and in active practice for at least three years to be eligible to sit for Maine bar
1 not found in the pulled documents
- Military spouse
- Not in the pulled documents
State-court pro hac vice
- Rule
- Me. R. Civ. P. 89(b); 4 M.R.S. 802
- Local counsel
- Yes. VERBATIM: "An attorney so permitted to practice in a particular action shall at all times be associated in such action with a member of the bar of this state"; Maine bar member submits motion.
- Limits
- Limited to that action; court may revoke for good cause; discretionary; visiting attorneys cannot file limited appearances. No numeric cap found.
- Fee
- $600 per Board of Overseers page (confirm amount/payee).
- Procedure
- Local counsel files motion; fee to Board of Overseers; applicant must be member in good standing of another state or DC bar.
Language from the source documents
10 quoted passages
On-motion rule
Applications for Admission by Motion pursuant to Maine Bar Admission Rule 11Amainebarexaminers.org
UBE transfer
Accepts Legacy UBE Score -->Yes Minimum Legacy UBE Score 270 Accepts NextGen UBE Score -->Yes Minimum NextGen UBE Score 620 Date First Acceptance NextGen UBE Score July 2026 Maximum Score Age 3 yearsncbex.org
Pro hac vice rule
Title 4, ยง 802 of the Maine Revised Statutes and Rule 89(b) of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure (PDF) provide the rules regarding admission for attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions who are seeking pro hac vice admission.mebaroverseers.org
Local counsel
An attorney so permitted to practice in a particular action shall at all times be associated in such action with a member of the bar of this statemebaroverseers.org
On-motion fee
Applications for Admission by Motion pursuant to Maine Bar Admission Rule 11A must be accompanied by a fee of $1,000.00mainebarexaminers.org
On-motion fee
Applications for Admission by Motion pursuant to Maine Bar Admission Rule 11A must be accompanied by a fee of $1,000.00, plus a fee of $105-$550mainebarexaminers.org
MPRE
The minimum required score on the MPRE is a scaled score of 80. Under Maine Bar Admission Rule 11, bar exam applicants must have taken and obtained a passing score on the MPRE within 15 years prior to the date on which the application is filed.mainebarexaminers.org
Foreign attorneys
must have been admitted to practice in that country or by examination in one or more jurisdictions within the United States AND has been in active practice in a jurisdiction in which applicant is licensed for at least three yearsmainebarexaminers.org