Virginia
Common questions
Can a lawyer be admitted in Virginia without taking the bar exam (admission on motion)?
Admission on motion available. Admitted 5+ yrs before court of last resort and practiced 3 of preceding 5 yrs; ABA-approved JD (or non-ABA JD plus ABA LL.M. and bar passage); MPRE 85 per NCBE; filing fee set by Board plus character report fee; no longer requires intent to practice full time (Rule 1A:1(f))
Does Virginia accept a transferred Uniform Bar Exam score?
Does not accept UBE score transfer now; an MBE scaled score of 133 or greater taken within 3 years transfers (the options page says 5 years); NextGen UBE transfer planned from July 2028, minimum not set
What are the pro hac vice requirements and fee in Virginia state courts?
Local counsel: Yes: must first associate with active VSB member in good standing; local counsel must personally appear and participate in pretrial conferences, hearings, trials and other proceedings, and sign pleadings Fee: $250 non-refundable application fee per case, payable to Clerk of Supreme Court of Virginia
Admission on motion
- Requirements
- Admitted 5+ yrs before court of last resort and practiced 3 of preceding 5 yrs; ABA-approved JD (or non-ABA JD plus ABA LL.M. and bar passage); MPRE 85 per NCBE; filing fee set by Board plus character report fee; no longer requires intent to practice full time (Rule 1A:1(f))
- Years of practice
- At least three of the last five years of full-time practice; full-time means minimum 32 hours per week; must have been admitted at least five years
- Reciprocity
- Applicant's jurisdiction (state, territory or DC) must permit Virginia lawyers admission without examination
- Fee
- $2,500 all-inclusive filing fee
- Rule
- Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Rule 1A:1
- UBE score transfer
- Does not accept UBE score transfer now; an MBE scaled score of 133 or greater taken within 3 years transfers (the options page says 5 years); NextGen UBE transfer planned from July 2028, minimum not set
- 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
- 85
- Other routes
- Virginia Corporate Counsel Certificate (Rule 1A:5) and Virginia Legal Aid Counsel Certificate (Rule 1A:9) may receive credit
- Foreign attorneys
- A J.D. from a foreign law school plus an LL.M. from an ABA-approved law school and a passed U.S. bar exam meets legal education requirement; Foreign Legal Consultant certification exists
2 not found in the pulled documents
- Reciprocity states
- Not in the pulled documents
- Military spouse
- Not in the pulled documents
State-court pro hac vice
- Rule
- Rule 1A:4
- Local counsel
- Yes: must first associate with active VSB member in good standing; local counsel must personally appear and participate in pretrial conferences, hearings, trials and other proceedings, and sign pleadings
- Limits
- Tribunal shall deny motion if lawyer admitted pro hac vice in 12 cases in last 12 months
- Fee
- $250 non-refundable application fee per case, payable to Clerk of Supreme Court of Virginia
- Procedure
- Local counsel files motion with notarized application, proposed order and fee; tribunal order required before appearance; lawyer must advise tribunal of disciplinary developments
Language from the source documents
10 quoted passages
On motion
who have been admitted to the bar of a Reciprocal Jurisdiction, and who have been engaged in the practice of law on a full-time basis for at least three of the immediately preceding five years, may be eligible for admission to the Virginia Bar without examination.barexam.virginia.gov
On-motion rule
Rule 1A:1. Admission to Practice in This Commonwealth Without Examinationbarexam.virginia.gov
UBE transfer
Accepts Legacy UBE Score -->No Accepts NextGen UBE Score -->Yes Minimum NextGen UBE Score TBAncbex.org
Other routes
Persons holding a Virginia Corporate Counsel Certificate under Part I of Rule 1A:5 may receive credit as provided in such Rule. Persons holding a Virginia Legal Aid Counsel Certificate under Rule 1A:9 may receive credit as provided in such Rule.barexam.virginia.gov
Pro hac vice rule
Rule 1A:4. Out-of-State Lawyers – When Allowed to Participate in a Case Pro Hac Vice.vacourts.gov
Local counsel
No out-of-state lawyer may appear pro hac vice before any tribunal in Virginia unless the out- of-state lawyer has first associated in that case with a lawyer who is an active member in good standing of the Virginia State Barvacourts.gov
phv_limits
has been previously admitted pro hac vice before any tribunal or tribunals in Virginia in twelve (12) cases within the last twelve (12) monthsvacourts.gov
Pro hac vice fee
an original notarized application and a non-refundable application fee of $250.00 payable to the Clerk of the Supreme Courtvacourts.gov
Years of practice
An applicant may apply for admission without examination only if the applicant has been engaged in the full-time practice of law for at least three of the last five years immediately preceding his or her application for admission to the Virginia State Bar.barexam.virginia.gov
Foreign attorneys
(ii) a J.D. degree from a law school not approved by the American Bar Association at the time of such applicant’s graduation (including a J.D. degree from a foreign law school), and an LL.M. from a law school approved by the American Bar Associationbarexam.virginia.gov