Massachusetts
Common questions
Can a lawyer be admitted in Massachusetts without taking the bar exam (admission on motion)?
Admission on motion available. Must have been actively engaged in practice or teaching of law for minimum of five of seven years immediately preceding filing
Does Massachusetts accept a transferred Uniform Bar Exam score?
Yes. UBE 270 or greater, earned within last 5 years (VERBATIM from mass.gov: "A UBE score of 270 or greater from a prior exam administration taken within the last 5 years will be acceptable"); MPRE 85; ABA JD. Massachusetts Law Component Exam is required of all applicants per rules text (UBE page lists no additional course).
What are the pro hac vice requirements and fee in Massachusetts state courts?
Local counsel: Yes. Motion must be filed by Massachusetts bar member (local counsel), who stays associated with the case. Fee: $355 per case in Superior, Land, and appellate courts; $101 per case in all other courts; paid to Board of Bar Overseers; non-refundable; waived for pro bono for indigent client; one fee covers removal/appeal.
Admission on motion
- Requirements
- Must have been actively engaged in practice or teaching of law for minimum of five of seven years immediately preceding filing
- Years of practice
- 5 out of the past 7 years immediately preceding filing; admitted at least 5 years
- Reciprocity
- None; any US state/district/territory highest court admission.
- Reciprocity states
- None: stated in the source documents (stated in source)
- Fee
- $1,015 petition filing fee (NCBE character report extra; amount not stated)
- Rule
- Mass. S.J.C. Rule 3:01, Sec. 6 (BBE Rules)
- UBE score transfer
- Yes. UBE 270 or greater, earned within last 5 years (VERBATIM from mass.gov: "A UBE score of 270 or greater from a prior exam administration taken within the last 5 years will be acceptable"); MPRE 85; ABA JD. Massachusetts Law Component Exam is required of all applicants per rules text (UBE page lists no additional course).
- UBE minimum
- 270
- UBE score window
- within 5 years
- MPRE
- 85; recency not stated
- Other routes
- Military spouse attorneys may petition for Admission by Motion
- Foreign attorneys
- Yes - foreign law school graduates may petition for admission by motion upon obtaining prior determination of educational sufficiency from the BBE
- Military spouse
- Yes - BBE welcomes inquiries and petitions for Admission by Motion from military spouse attorneys
State-court pro hac vice
- Rule
- G.L. c. 221, Sec. 46A; S.J.C. Rule 3:15 (fee); case law DiLuzio v. United Elec., 391 Mass. 211 (1984)
- Local counsel
- Yes. Motion must be filed by Massachusetts bar member (local counsel), who stays associated with the case.
- Limits
- Individual lawyers only, not firms; court discretion; no numeric cap or residency bar found.
- Fee
- $355 per case in Superior, Land, and appellate courts; $101 per case in all other courts; paid to Board of Bar Overseers; non-refundable; waived for pro bono for indigent client; one fee covers removal/appeal.
- Procedure
- Pay fee to BBO (form + check/money order, or online per rule) before motion; BBO acknowledgment within about 7 days; local counsel's motion avers payment or attaches acknowledgment.
Language from the source documents
12 quoted passages
On motion
The BBE requires proof that you have been actively engaged in the practice of law for a minimum of five of the seven years in any state, district, or territory of the United States immediately preceding the filing of the petition.mass.gov
On-motion rule
Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:01, § 6 and the Rules of the Board of Bar Examiners detail the requirements for Admission by Motionmass.gov
UBE transfer
A UBE score of 270 or greater from a prior exam administration taken within the last 5 years will be acceptable.mass.gov
Other routes
Military Spouses Seeking Admission by Motion The BBE welcomes inquiries and petitions for Admission by Motion from attorney spouses of service members in the United States Uniformed Services.mass.gov
Local counsel
The motion to admit out-of-state counsel pro hac vice must be filed by a member of the Massachusetts bar (“local counsel”), not by the out-of-state attorney directly.mass.gov
Pro hac vice fee
shall pay a non-refundable pro hac vice registration fee of $355 per case to the Board of Bar Overseers (Board), except when the attorney is providing pro bono publico legal assistance to an indigent client.mass.gov
Years of practice
shall have engaged in the active practice or teaching of law in a state, district or territory of the United States for five out of the past seven years immediately preceding the filing of the petition for admission by motion.mass.gov
Foreign attorneys
Graduates of law schools in foreign countries may be permitted to petition for admission by motion upon obtaining a prior determination of their education sufficiency from the BBE.mass.gov
Military spouse
The BBE welcomes inquiries and petitions for Admission by Motion from attorney spouses of service members in the United States Uniformed Services.mass.gov