Admission by Motion - Instructions

Applying by Motion


Applicants much click on each section and check the certification at the bottom of each section.

Applicants for Admission by Motion must meet the following criteria:

  1. hold a juris doctor degree from an ABA accredited law school;
  2. demonstrate fitness and character to practice law;
  3. pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a 75 or higher or pass an approved law school course on ethics with a “C-” or better;
  4. have practiced for five of the last seven years in another jurisdiction;
  5. have previously passed a bar examination in another jurisdiction;
  6. be admitted in a jurisdiction that would extend a reciprocal license by motion to New Jersey lawyers; and
  7. complete a course on New Jersey ethics and professionalism as a condition precedent to admission.

Applicants may request a pre-application determination of prior work history by completing the form "Request for Pre-approval of Practice Form" found on your user Home Page. Application fees are non-refundable.

Starting the application

1. The online motion application, available on your User Home Page.

2. The on-line Character Questionnaire (also referred to as character statement or character and fitness form) must be submitted on-line. When you submit the character questionnaire, you will be given the option of paying by credit card. If you do not select to pay by credit card at that time, you cannot go back later and pay via credit card.

Do not send a paper copy of your Character and Fitness Questionnaire.

Until you press "Submit" from the User Home Page, your application will not be submitted to the Board of Bar Examiners. Please confirm that you have submitted your application by checking Application Information on your User Home Page. Application Status should be "Submitted."



After you submit the Character Questionnaire and payment, an Upload button will appear on the lower right hand side of your User Home Page. This button is used to upload documents directly to your User account with the Board of Bar Examiners.

Your application will not be reviewed until your Character questionnaire is submitted and payment is received. ALL other documents are considered supplemental. However, your application WILL NOT be acknowledged until the one page Authorization and Release form is uploaded. It is strongly recommended that you upload items as soon as possible.

3. The application fee;

4. A one page Authorization and Release form, which must be signed, notarized and uploaded from your User Home Page.

Payments. Payments can be made via credit card when the character questionnaire is submitted OR with a money order or certified check or cashier’s check. If paying via "paper," you must attach payment to the Non-credit Card Payments form, which is available on the User Home Page. Payments are non-refundable.

NOTES

UNACCEPTABLE forms of payment include: Personal checks and Travelers’ checks. We cannot accept any foreign instruments including bank checks, American Express, Discover, personal checks, money orders, cash, or other instruments, even if drawn against a US financial institution. If an application is submitted with the incorrect amount or an incorrect method of payment, the application will not be considered submitted until appropriate payment is received.

NOTES

You are required to amend your Certified Statement within 30 days of any change to the information provided. This requirement remains in effect until you are admitted or withdraw, or until you are abandoned. To amend your application, go to your User Home Page and select "Amend Application." Click on Character & Fitness Questionnaire under Forms & Progress, edit as needed, and click on “Submit Addendum” on the User Home Page.

The following fees are in effect



The fee to apply for admission on motion is $1,500.

When you submit the character questionnaire, you will be given the option of paying by credit card. If you do not select to pay by credit card at that time, you cannot go back later and pay via credit card. Visa and Mastercard are accepted

As of May 1, 2019, credit cards transactions cannot be processed from 11:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m. EST. Credit card payments must be received prior to 11:30 p.m. EST to ensure they are posted on the same day.

Fees may be paid online via credit card or by "paper" payment. The "paper" fee payment must only be in the form of a certified check, cashier's check, or money order and be attached to the form "Non-credit Card Payments", which can be found on your User Home Page.

Definition of Practice

An attorney shall be deemed to have been engaged in the practice of law for the purpose of admission on motion if, for five of the seven years immediately preceding the date of application, the attorney has been performing the following work for more than 20 hours per week:

  1. Providing legal counsel or legal services to clients or appearing before courts, administrative bodies, executive agencies, or other state or federal tribunals on behalf of clients, as a) a sole proprietor, or b) a partner, shareholder, member, or employee for, or under contract with, a professional corporation, partnership, limited liability partnership, or limited liability company;
  2. Providing legal counsel or legal services or appearing before courts, administrative bodies, executive agencies, or other state or federal tribunals on behalf of a corporation, partnership, trust, or other entity while employed by that corporation, partnership, trust, or other entity;
  3. Providing legal counsel or legal services or appearing before courts, administrative bodies, executive agencies, or other state or federal tribunals on behalf of the executive, legislative, or judicial departments, including the independent agencies thereof, for the federal government, a state or territory, or any political subdivision thereof;
  4. Serving as a judge, magistrate, hearing examiner, administrative law judge, law clerk, or similar official on behalf of the federal government, a state or territory, or any political subdivision thereof;
  5. Serving as a teacher at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, including direct supervision of law students within a clinical program; and
  6. Any combination of the above.

Supplemental Documentation


Supplemental documents must be submitted on-line AFTER submitting the Character and Fitness Questionnaire. Once the questionnaire is submitted, a link to upload documents will be activated (lower right hand side of your User Home Page). Supplemental documents must be submitted within sixty (60) days of receiving an acknowledgement from your case file manager or your file may be abandoned. Applicants who have had their files abandoned will need to reapply and pay the fee again.

All documents other than the character questionnaire are considered supplemental, including the one page Authorization and Release forms. However, this document should be uploaded as soon as possible - applications will not be acknowledged without it. Please read the acknowledgement letter carefully as it contains information needed to continue the process.

Required Documents:

  • Certification of New Jersey Ethics and Professionalism Course.

  • Driver's abstracts. You must submit a certified complete record of your driving history, which is maintained by the Division of Motor Vehicles in the state or jurisdiction (including foreign jurisdictions) in which you hold (or have held) a driver's license in the last seven years. Any on-line abstracts that are submitted MUST be obtained from the motor vehicle agency of the respective state or jurisdiction; no third-party abstracts will be accepted. You must request a COMPLETE abstract. Three-year (abbreviated) abstracts are not accepted.

  • NEW JERSEY LICENSED DRIVERS:
    http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/pdf/license/DO-21.pdf

    Applicants must check the box "CERTIFIED COMPLETE RECORD - $15 PER SEARCH (Court/Bar Exam)."

    NEW YORK LICENSED DRIVERS:
    http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv15.pdf

    PENNSYLVANIA LICENSED DRIVERS:
    http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Public/DVSPubsForms/BDL/BDL%20Form/DL-503.pdf

    California Driver's Abstracts Applicants who require a California abstract must request form INF-1125. No other abstract will be accepted.

  • Law school certificate. You must print a law school certificate form, fill out the top portion, and submit the form to your law schools(s). A certificate is required from any law school you attended, whether you graduated from that institution or not. The form can be found on your User Home Page.

  • Transcripts. School transcripts are required if:
    • requested by your reviewing attorney or case file manager; or
    • if you answered "yes" to any of the questions under Section 3D, Education, Probation or Discipline.

    If required, contact your school and request that an official transcript of your grades, academic and disciplinary records be sent from the school directly to the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners.

  • • Law School or MPRE Ethics requirement. The ethics requirement can be satisfied by:
    • 1. taking an approved ethics course in law school and receiving a grade of C or better (as certified on the law school certificate by the law school); or
    • 2. taking the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) and receiving a 75 or better.

    If you did not take an approved ethics course in law school, you must arrange to have your MPRE score sent to us from the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). MPRE scores do not "expire;" scores of 75 or greater from prior years can be used to fulfill the ethics requirement.

  • Documents regarding admission in other jurisdictions
    1. Certificate of Good Standing from a reciprocal jurisdiction to which the applicant is currently admitted and in good standing;
    2. Certificate(s) of Good Standing from all jurisdictions in which the applicant has ever been admitted. Please note that the Certificate of Good Standing and Certificate of Ethical Conduct typically are not the same documents and usually come from different agencies. A list of disciplinary offices is available on our website under the "General Application Information" tab; or
    3. Letter from the jurisdiction indicating that the license was resigned or administratively revoked;
    4. Certificate of Ethical Conduct (disciplinary history) from all jurisdictions to which the applicant has ever been admitted;
    5. Certification from jurisdiction in which the applicant was admitted by examination; and
    6. Submission of the Certification of Prior Practice form, located on your User Home Page.

  • Applicant specific supplemental documents based on responses in character questionnaire, such as:
    • Court documents;
    • School transcripts;
    • Police documentation;
    • Other documents as indicated when required based on answers to the character questionnaire;
    • Military discharge documents;
    • Any documentation requested by your reviewing attorney, typically due within 30 days of the request.

    • Other Requirements

    Fingerprinting. All candidates must be fingerprinted so that we may perform a Criminal History search. Detailed instructions will be posted to your User Home Page along with your acknowledgment packet. Your application ID will be available in the acknowledgement packet and must be entered in box 7, Case Contributer’s Number. DO NOT get printed before receiving the acknowledgement on your User Home Page.

    By law, fingerprinting results are only available to the agency requesting the prints. If you have been printed by another state agency, you MUST be reprinted for the bar examination.

    Applicants must be printed for each application submitted to the Board of Bar Examiners. Applicants who have previously applied under another application type, such as for In-House Counsel, must be re-printed.

    Acknowledgements, Correspondence with the Office, and Other Information Useful information


    A checklist is available on your User Home Page. In addition, a “Definitions” sheet is available. Please read both of these documents and use the checklist to help keep track of what you have done and still need to do.

    Please retain a copy of your payment form. To guard against loss and ensure proof of timely filing, ship by overnight carrier, return receipt and/or required signature by receiver to one of the following addresses:


    Overnight Delivery via DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.:
    Board of Bar Examiners
    Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
    25 West Market St., 8th Fl, North Wing
    Trenton, NJ 08611

    Certified/First Class/Express/Priority Mail via United States Postal Service:
    Board of Bar Examiners
    PO Box 973
    Trenton, NJ 08625-0973


    Complete submissions (online character questionnaire, payment, application and one page authorization and release form) are processed in the order received in the office. During peak times it may take up to four weeks or more for your application to be acknowledged once all required information is received.

    DO NOT call the office to find the status of your application. With volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond to individual requests.

    Keep your receipt from the Post Office, UPS, FedEx, etc. as proof that you sent your paper payment by a certain date if not paying via credit card.

    Once your case file manager processes your application, you will receive an acknowledgement packet posted to your User Home Page.

    The acknowledgement packet will consist of three parts:

    • 1. information and general instructions;
    • 2. acknowledgement of your complete application with payment; and
    • 3. fingerprint instructions.

    Please read these documents carefully as they contain important information regarding the next steps you must take in the process, the name of your case file manager, etc.

    Communication with your case file manager can be accomplished in one of three ways:

    • • Messaging from your User Home Page. This method typically results in the fastest response;
    • • Email; and
    • • Phone.

    Please select only ONE method for each question you have; sending the same inquiry multiple times slows down response time. During peak periods, case file managers’ voice mailboxes are often filled to capacity. Please allow two business days for your case file manager to respond before sending a follow up.

    PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER PERIODICALLY AND/OR ALLOW EMAILS FROM THE BAR ADMISSIONS OFFICE.

    Committee on Character and Certification Process


    To be admitted, applicants must be certified by the Committee on Character. Please read the Committee on Character Regulations, available under the “Exam” tab on the web site. Each applicant will be assigned to a reviewing attorney. Your application will not be forwarded to the reviewing attorney until it is complete. A complete application package consists of:

    • • Law school certificate(s);
    • • Proof of satisfaction of ethics requirement (MPRE or law school course as indicated on law school certificate);
    • • Driver's abstract(s) as appropriate;
    • • Certificate(s) of Good Standing as appropriate;
    • • Disciplinary History as appropriate; and
    • • Fingerprinting results.

    Please make sure to provide all of the required supplemental documents as soon as possible. Candidates cannot be admitted without being certified. Your reviewing attorney may request additional information after receiving your file. Again, the more quickly you comply, the more quickly your file will be processed by your reviewing attorney. Applicants who do not respond may be abandoned.

    In some cases, an interview or hearing may be required. Applicants will be notified when this occurs. It is the applicant’s duty to update the Character and Fitness Questionnaire until admitted or until the applicant withdraws from consideration or is abandoned due to non-responsiveness.

    Failure to timely submit supplemental documentation will result in a delay in the certification process. Applicants who do not timely submit required documentation will not be certified.