T h e Loui s iana - PowerPoint Presentation

T h e Loui siana BarAdmissions Application Process Pr e p a re d b y: T h e Lo u isi a n a S u prem e C ou r t C om m ittee o n Bar Admiss i o ns 2800 V eter a n s M emori a l Bl v d., S uite 310 M et a iri e , LA 70002 504-830-5463 WWW.LASCBA.ORG

T he Law 1 T he rule gove rning the bar admissions process is Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XVII.The first step in seeking admission in an y juri s dictio n i s to r ead and f oll o w the r ule g o v e r ni ng ba r admis s io ns.

R equisites for Admission 2 18 years of ageCitizen, perm anent r esid e n t o r au t horiz e d to w or k in the U. S. O f sound mind, g oo d moral c harac t er an d fitness Gradu a te o f a n A B A ac c redite d l a w s c hoo l or for eign equ i v alent Satisfac t ori l y co m plet e examina t ion Successfully pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a scaled score of 80 or higher .

L aw Student Regi strat ion ProgramAvailable to 2n d y ear l a w students in the fall semester.Students who attend law school in Louisiana “shall participate in the Law Student Registration Program.”A $300 penalty applies for failing to register. 3

Pu rpose4 L a w S tudent Registration Program benefits a student by allo wing hi m / he r to get started early with the C&F screening process. If any issues that require further inquiry arise, the applicant may have time to address and resolve these ma t t e r s pri o r t o the time h e / s h e ap p lie s t o sit f or the ba r examination. A pplica nt s w h o w ai t until the third y e a r to s t a r t the proces s m a y b e requi r ed t o addres s a C& F inqui r y while applyin g to sit an d pr e parin g for the bar exa m ina t ion. In addi t ion, ad m ission m a y b e d e l a y e d.

L aw Student Registration: 5 R egi stration period: August 1 through October 1. Forms / F ees: Law Student Registration Form: s h oul d be completed and forwarded directly to the Committee on Bar admissions in Metairie. $125 fee payable to Committee on Bar Admissions.The NCBE Request for Preparation of Character Report: should be electronically submitted to the NCBE along with the required fee to the NCBE fee schedule (eff. 07/01/18) . Specific forms will be required to print, sign, notarize and submit to the Committee on Bar Admissions along with the law student registration form.

T o Appl y as a Law Student 6 Visit the Committee on Bar Admissions webpage, www.Lascba.org to create an account and profileComplete all information regarding your profile (law school, mailing address, telephone number)Click on the Application Status tab, you should see a blue button indicating “start law student registration”.After entering all application information, click on “Submit online law student registration”Be sure to follow the next steps to complete your law student registration.

“ Received by” 7 R ule XVII requires that original hard c opies o f all registr ati o n forms, applications, requests for character reports be: “RE CEIVED BY” (not postm ar ked) Committee on Bar Admissions2800 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 310Metairie, LA 70002Applications may be hand delivered to the Committee offices between 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Characte r and Fitness 8 T h e purpose of the character an d fitness s c reening proces s is set fo r th in La. Sup. Ct. Rule XVII, Sec. 5:. . . to assure the protection of the public and to safeguard the administration of justice.The files of applicants an d th e int e r na l procee ding s o f the Commit t e e shall b e k e p t confiden t ial. L a . Su p . Ct . R ule XVII, Se c . 1(G ) .

Good Moral Character an d Fitness; Definitions9“Good moral character" includes, bu t is no t limit ed to, the qualities of honesty, fairness, candor, trustworthiness, observances of fiduciary responsibility and of the laws of the State of Louisiana and of the United Sta t es o f A merica, an d a respec t for t h e ri g ht s o f othe r person s . “ Fitnes s " include s , bu t is no t limit e d t o , the me ntal o r e m otiona l suitability o f the applican t to pra cti c e l a w in t hi s sta t e .

C& F Investigation 10 A s part of the screening proc ess, a p plic ant s m ust submit an electronic Request for Preparation of Character Report (aka Character and Fitness Application) to the NCBE (National Conference of Bar Examiners). T h e NC B E c o nduct s t h e ini t ial i n v esti g a t ion ba sed on res p o n ses pr o vided b y a n a p pli c a n t o n hi s / he r C & F Ap p lica t io n . Bar Exam Ap p lica n ts are required to complete a crimin a l ba c k g roun d c he c k which includes submission of fingerprints to the Louisiana State Police. T h e Commit t e e m a y c o nduc t ad diti o na l i n v esti g a t io n .

Committe e Determination 11 A n applicant bears the burden of proving the requisite character an d fitnes s . T h e Committee makes a determination as to whether an applicant has shown the requisite character and fitness for admission.

F ailure to Meet Requirements 12 If the applicant fails to establish the requisite character an d fitness, the Commit t e e will no t certify the applicant to the Court for admission.The Committee will notify the applicant.The applicant may seek relief from the Court.The Court may appoint a Commissioner to conduct a hearin g an d ma k e a recomme nda t ion o r i t m a y issue a n imm e diate r ulin g .

F actors and Considerations 13 A rrest s or criminal charges;Academic, employ ment, pro f essional, milita r y or criminal misconduct;Abuse of the legal process or failure to comply with legal obligations;Neglect of financial responsibilities;Fraud, deceit, dishonesty or misrepresentation;See La. Sup. Ct. R ul e XVI I , Sec. 5(E), F acto rs and Con s ide r ations

F actors and Considerations 14 Evid enc e of substance misuse, abuse or depen dency. Evid e nc e o f m ental or emotional instability is also a factor the Committee may consider when determining if the applicant possesses the requisite fitness to practice law. See La. Sup. Ct. R ul e XVII, S e c. 5 ( E ) ( 1 5 ), F acto r s an d C o nsideratio n s .

R ehabilitation15 F ac tor s which may be considered in assignin g weight an d sig ni f ican c e given to prior conduct:Applicant’s age, amount of time elapsed since conduct, reliability of informationSeriousness, factors underlying conduct and cumulative effectApplicant’s posit i v e social contributions since conduct, ca ndo r an d cooper atio n in the a d missions proc e ss and evidence o f rehabi l itation

Commo n A reas of Concern 16Criminal conduct (including DWI’s) Financial irres p o n s i b i lit y (excessive,unaddressed debt)Conduct or behavior related to impairments which call into question current fitness: substance abuse, alcohol abuse, mental, emotional or nervous disorders or conditions.

Cando r, Cooperation and Duty to Keep Information Current17 Candor [La. Su p . Ct . R ul XVII, Sec. 4(G)]. Applicants shall provide complete and candid responses to all inquiries, whether on the Bar Examination Application, the NCBE Request for Preparation of a C h a r a c t e r R e po r t o r a s pa r t o f an y bar a d missions inqui r y , i n v es t i g ation , o r proc e e d in g . Coope ra t io n [La. Su p . Ct . R ule XVII, Se c . 5 (I)]. A n applicant w h o fails to c oo p e r at e in the i n v es t i g atio n m a y b e d enied a dmiss io n due to hi s / h er la c k o f coopera t i o n. D u ty to K e e p Appli c ation Cu r r e n t [La. Su p . Ct . R ule XVII, Se c . 4(H)]. U n til a d mitt e d to t h e B a r , a n appl i ca n t is und e r a conti n uing obl i g atio n to k e e p hi s / he r appl i cation cu r r e nt.

Bar Examination Application: Law Student Registrants When it is time for a Law Student Registrant to apply to sit for the bar examination, he/she must file:A Bar Examination Application with the Committee in Metairie, Louisiana. (This is a different form that the Law Student Registration form!)and Submit an online Supplemental Request for Preparation of Character report to the NCBE and print all specific forms which are to be sent to the Committee along with your bar examination application. 18

App lying for the Bar Examination 19 Visit the Committee on Bar Admissions webpage, www.Lascba.org to access your individual applicant portalAny information that may have changed should be updated by accessing “My Profile” in your individual portal. Changes to names can only be changed by Committee staff. Please call or email the staff for instructions to make these changes.Click on “Application Status”Click on “Take the Bar Exam Part I: Nine Part Essay Exam”Click on the blue button labeled “View/Print Application” and follow all instructions provided.You must also complete and electronically submit a supplemental NCBE Request for the Preparation of a Character Report by the filing deadlines and also submit specific NCBE forms along with your bar examination application.

F ees20 T h e f ee schedule is set forth in L A Sup . Ct. R u le XVII, App endix:Law Student Registration Fee - $125.Bar Examination Application Fee - $750 for first-time applicants who participated in the Law Student Registration program. Bar Examination Application fee - $875 for al l ot h e r applicant s . L a t e L a w S t ud e n t App l i c a t i o n F ee ba r applicant s who w er e enrol l e d in on e o f the A B A accr e dited l a w s c ho ols in this s tat e , an d who coul d h a v e , but did no t , pa r ti c ipat e in the L a w Student R e gistrat io n Pro g ram - $300 . L a t e Fil i n g F e e - $750 . Incomplete Application Administrative Fee - $350 An y an d al l f ee s as s e ss e d b y the Nationa l C onfer e nc e o f Bar Examiner s . Laptop f ee s - $ 1 2 5 (payable to approved vendor upon receipt of approval to sit for examination).

NCBE C&F Fee Schedule(eff. 07/01/18) 21 I : LAW STUDENT REGISTRANT II: FIRST B AR AD M ISSI O N OR II I : ATTORNEY/BAR ADMISSION IV: FOREIGNV(b): SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT *$250$355$500$875$105*This report is for the same jurisdiction for whi c h NCBE pr e pare d the ori g inal L a w Stud en t R egistrant r e po r t.

Com munication 22 T he Committee may communicate with applica nts via U. S . mail , e - mail message or telephone.Applicants must keep e-mail addresses, mailing addresses and telephone number(s) current with the Committee. Address, email or telephone changes should be made by accessing the individual applicant portal on the Committee’s website.For important information and updates, pleas e visit www. L ascba.org

Contac t the Committee 23 A ny questions you may have regarding the application an d t es t ing process , contact Denise Leeper at DLeeper@Lascba.org, Rhonda Lorig at RLorig@Lascba.org or Robyn Pattison at RPattison@Lascba.org. Any questions you may have regarding the character and fitness process, contact Monique Drake at MDrake@Lascba.org or Megan O’Cain at MOcain@lascba.org.