1. Graduated from an ABA-accredited law school; or
2. Completed the Washington Supreme Court APR 6 Law Clerk Program; or
3. Graduated from any U.S. law school and earned an LLM degree from an ABA-accredited law school that meets the requirements of Washington Supreme Court APR 3; or
4. Graduated from a university or law school outside the U.S. with a degree in law that currently qualifies you to practice law in that jurisdiction and earned an LLM degree from an ABA-approved law school that meets the requirements of Washington Supreme Court APR 3; or
5. Been admitted to the practice of law in any jurisdiction where the common law of England is the basis of its jurisprudence and have active legal experience for at least three of the five years immediately preceding the filing of the application.

You are not allowed to take the Washington bar exam if you:

• qualify for admission by motion, see APR 3(c);
• qualify for admission by UBE score transfer, see APR 3(d); or
• do not intend to seek admission to the practice of law in Washington. Only bona fide applicants applying for admission to the practice of law in Washington are allowed to take the Washington bar exam.

To take the LPO exam, you must be at least 18 years old. In all cases, you must establish that you possess good moral character and the requisite fitness to practice as a LPO.

Lawyer Bar Exam Applicants:

General Bar Exam Applicants: $585

Attorney Bar Exam Applicants: $620

Late Filing Fee: $300

A separate NCBE investigation fee is required for general applicants applying under APR 3(b)(4)(B) and all Attorney Applicants.

LPO Exam Applicants: 

LPO Exam: $200

Late Filing Fee: $100

General Applicants applying under APR 3(b)(4)(B) and all Attorney Applicants are required to pay an investigation fee to the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).  After review of your application by the WSBA office, the NCBE will contact you and provide you with NCBE payment and authorization and release forms that will need to be executed by you.

You may withdraw at any time.  If you withdraw 18 days or more prior to the exam, then you will receive a partial refund.

No.  You may withdraw and reapply during the next application acceptance period.        

The following hotels have given special rates to applicants taking the bar exam and LPO exam.  You should make your arrangements as soon as possible, because space is limited.  When making your reservations, you must mention that you are a Washington State Bar Exam applicant, in order to receive the special rate.

Hotel Murano
1320 Broadway, WA 98421
Tacoma, WA 98402

La Quinta Inn & Suites Tacoma
1425 E 27th St.
Tacoma, WA 98421
Phone: (253) 383-0146
Group code: WSBA

Courtyard Tacoma Downtown Hotel
1515 Commerce Street
Tacoma, WA 98402
253-591-9100

No, unless you made a special request, and that request was approved. In general, applicants are able to access personal belongings during breaks and, if necessary, during the exam in the company of a proctor.  A special request can be made at least 18 days in advance of the exam online from your user home page. All requests must be supported (if applicable) by written documentation from a treatment provider.

There will be coffee, tea, and water provided at the site for no additional costs. 

No, you may not bring any paper into the exam room.  The WSBA provides scratch paper for those sessions of the exams in which it is permitted.  For the bar exam, no scratch paper is permitted for the MBE, but you may write in the exam booklets.

On the first day of the bar exam, registration begins at 6:30 a.m., make sure to give yourself enough time to register, go through door security and be in your seats no later than 8:15 a.m. Instructions begin promptly at 8:15 a.m.

There is no registration on the second day of the bar exam.  Doors to the testing center will open at 7:00 a.m. Please plan for enough time to go through door security and be in your seats no later than 8:15 a.m.  Instructions begin promptly at 8:15 a.m.

Washington's qualifying score is 266.

However, the Washington Supreme Court lowered the UBE minimum passing score to 266 for the bar examinations administered from Summer 2020 through the implementation of the NextGen Bar Exam.  The UBE minimum passing score of 266 also applies to applicants transferring a UBE score from another jurisdiction for a UBE administered during that time period.

The exam results are typically released to applicants on their online accounts at 8:00 a.m. on the second Friday of April for the winter exam, and September for the summer exam.  A press release of the Pass List will be published on Saturday on the WSBA website.

Yes, Unsuccessful applicants will receive copies of their written essay answers with raw scores, MEE questions and analyses, and MPT by logging into their ILG Exam360 account.

No. APR 4(b) and WSBA Admission Policies IX.A(3) state that there is no appeal of final examinations results.

Any applicant with a disability for which testing accommodation is needed must request such accommodation though the online admissions site at least 80 days prior to the examination date.  Applicants requesting testing accommodations because of disabilities must provide appropriate documentation of the disability and specify the extent to which the standard testing procedures need to be modified. The burden of proof is on the applicant to show the need for any testing accommodations.  The Bar reserves the right to make final judgement concerning testing accommodations and may have documentation reviewed by a medical specialist, psychologist or learning disability specialist.  See the online admissions site for additional information and click here for instructions regarding testing accommodations requests and required documentation.  Any testing accommodation may not compromise the integrity or security of the examination or affect the standards set for the examination. 

All applications for admission to the practice of law in Washington are subject to character and fitness review.  We look at each application on a case-by-case basis.  Please refer to APR 20(c)-(e) and APR 21 which include definitions for good moral character, fitness to practice law and the essential eligibility requirements and describe factors considered when determining an applicant's character and fitness.

You are required to provide details of any violations or events responsive to any application question, even if you are unable to find any documentation.  Please be as accurate as possible with the information you provide in your application.  Please answer the question to the best of your ability.

The NCBE and WSBA  are not limited to contacting only the individuals you name in your application when performing its investigation. The NCBE and WSBA investigate and verify the following on all applications for licensure and the law clerk program:

• Police record checks for domestic residences where the applicant resided for at least six months;
• U.S. military duty or service;
• College and university attendance and degree(s) conferred;
• Law school attendance and degree conferred;
• Employment history;
• Professional licenses;
• Civil actions (including continuing court orders, e.g. child support);
• Criminal actions;
• Indebtedness;
• Domestic traffic violations;
• Applications for bar admissions and good standing information where licensed;
• Disciplinary actions with education institutions, employment, licensing agencies, and bar associations; and
• Professional and personal references, if any

The length of time to complete a character and fitness review of an application varies by application. Washington requires resolution of all character and fitness issues at least 18 days prior to sitting for the exam. Applicants with information to disclose that may raise an issue of character or fitness are strongly encouraged to file their applications early in the registration period.

You must complete the admission process within 40 months from the date of the administration of the bar exam in which the passing score was earned; within 12 months of the LPO exam.

Your agent for service is not required to be a Washington lawyer; you may designate a friend or family member, or your firm’s branch office, as long as the agent is within the state of Washington.  If you can’t find an individual you may designate a service organization.  Neither the Secretary of State nor the WSBA may be designated as an agent of service. We cannot recommend any businesses or services, but an internet search should provide several options.  Please note that you must provide your agent’s street address, not a post office box or other private mailbox location.

Lawyer Bar Exam:

The Oath of Attorney must be taken before an elected or appointed judge, excluding judges pro tempore, retired judges and administrative law judges, sitting in open court.  See Washington Supreme Court APR 5(f) for more information.

LPO Exam:

The Oath of Limited Practice Officers must be taken before an elected or appointed judge, excluding judges pro tempore, retired judges and administrative law judges, sitting in open court in Washington.  See Washington Supreme Court APR 5(h) for more information.. 

Once you complete all of the new admittee licensing requirements, a recommendation for your admission is sent to the Washington Supreme Court.  It generally takes two to three weeks for the Court to issue an admission order admitting you to the practice of law in Washington.  You will be notified by email from WSBA when you have been admitted and a license number is assigned. Your bar card and certificate will be mailed within two to three weeks.

New lawyers only may purchase a wall certificate suitable for framing, approximately 16 ½” x 13 ½”, by writing to:

Supreme Court of Washington

Temple of Justice

PO Box 40929

Olympia, WA 98504

*The cost is $25.  Please enclose a copy of your WSBA bar card.  It may take up to six months for the wall certificate to be completed.

Applications are forwarded for licensure to the Washington Supreme Court. If you are a Washington licensed legal professional and need a copy of your licensure application, please contact the Clerk's office at supreme@courts.wa.gov.

If you fail the test, you must wait 24 hours before retaking the test. If you failed more than once, you must wait 72 hours before retaking the test. There is no limit on how many times you can take the WLC.

Admission by Motion and UBE transfer score applicants must pass the WLC within one year from the date of filing the application. Please reference the Admissions Policies for more information.

Your application is not considered submitted for Admission by Motion under APR 3(c)(1) until the below has been received by the WSBA:

• Complete the Application for Licensure
• Upload one Authorization and Release form, signed and notarized within six months prior to the date the application is considered submitted with the WSBA
• Two Good Moral Character Certificates, signed and dated within six months prior to the application is submitted with the WSBA
• Certificate(s) of Admission to Practice and Good Standing, in all jurisdictions where you are admitted or have ever been admitted, dated within six months prior to the date the application is submitted with the WSBA.
• Application fee of $620, payable to the Washington State Bar Association.  This fee is separate from the NCBE Investigation fee.

If you are employed as house counsel in Washington State, you can choose between applying for the limited license or for full admission by way of admission by motion. The WSBA encourages lawyers who are licensed in another U.S state or territory and have active legal experience for three of the past five years, to apply for Admission by Motion. Lawyers who are admitted by motion are fully licensed members of the WSBA and are authorized to fully practice law and appear in Washington State courts.

Lawyers admitted under APR 8(f) as house counsel are strictly limited to providing advice to their employer-client and cannot appear in court but still must abide by the same MCLE requirements and license fees as fully licensed lawyers. Additionally, if a lawyer licensed as house counsel under APR 8(f) later applies for full admission by motion, they will have to pay all of the same application fees again. 

All applicants for Admission by Motion must take the Washington Law Component (WLC), a 60-question online test that can be taken at any time after submitting an application. House counsel applicants do not have to take this test, but they do have access to the materials if they want to review them.

If you are employed as House Counsel in Washington State, you can choose between applying for the limited House Counsel license or for full admission and licensing by way of admission by motion. The WSBA encourages lawyers who are licensed in another U.S. state or territory and have active legal experience for three of the past five years, to apply for admission by motion. Lawyers who are admitted by motion are members of the WSBA and are fully licensed to practice law and appear in Washington State Courts. Lawyers licensed under Washington Supreme Court Admission and Practice Rule (APR))8(f) as House Counsel are strictly limited to providing advice to their employer-client and cannot appear in court, but they still must abide by the same MCLE requirements and pay the same license fees as active status lawyers. Additionally, if a lawyer licensed as House Counsel under Washington Supreme Court (APR)8(f) later applies for full admission by motion, they will have to pay all of the same application fees again.

If you have a UBE score of 266 or higher from another state, you can transfer your score to Washington for up to 40 months after the date of the administration of the UBE in which the score was earned. The Washington Supreme Court reduced the minimum UBE passing score in Washington from 270 to 266 for all exams administered from July 2020 through the implementation of the NextGen Bar Exam, including examinations already administered in February 2023, July 2023 and February 2024.  The minimum passing score of 266 applies equally to UBE Score Transfers under APR 3(d).

The MPRE score must be acquired 3 years before or after the date you sat for the UBE. You must have sat for the full UBE. Washington only accepts official UBE score transcripts in their entirety from the NCBE. We do not accept score transfers for the individual test components, nor do we allow applicants to register for select parts of the exam

General Applicants takes approximately two to three months from the time an application is submitted for the application to be approved, assuming Washington has received the qualifying transferred UBE and MPRE scores.

Attorney Applicants, it takes approximately four to six months from the time an application is submitted for the application to be approved. 

• Complete the Online Application for Licensure
  

• Certificate(s) of Admission to Practice and Standing:  Upload with this application a certificate from the authority in each foreign jurisdiction having final jurisdiction over professional discipline, certifying as to your admission to practice, and the date thereof, and as to your good standing in that jurisdiction, together with a duly authenticated English translation of such certificate, if it is not in English.
  

• Letter of Recommendation from one of the members of the executive body in each foreign jurisdiction having final jurisdiction over professional discipline or from one of the judges of the highest law court or courts of original jurisdiction of such foreign country, together with a duly authenticated English translation of such letter, if it is not in English.
  

• Reciprocity Documentation: Upload with this application documentation (such as relevant rules or regulations) establishing that your application complies with the requirement of APR 14(h) that the country or jurisdiction from which you apply does not impose, by any law, rule or regulation, any requirements, limitations, restrictions or conditions upon the admission of members of the Washington State Bar Association as Foreign Law Consultants in that foreign country or jurisdiction which are significantly more limiting or restrictive than the requirements of APR 14.  If that foreign country or jurisdiction imposes any requirements, limitations, restrictions or conditions upon the admission of  members of the Washington State Bar Association as Foreign Law Consultants in that foreign country or jurisdiction which are significantly more limiting or restrictive than the requirements of APR 14, describe them and include a copy of the relevant rule or regulation provisions with this application.
  

• Authorization and Release signed and notarized within the last six months.

• $620 Application Fee payable to the Washington State Bar Association.  This fee is separate from the NCBE fee
  

Your application is not considered submitted for House Counsel under APR 8(f) until the below has been received by the WSBA:

• Complete the Application for Licensure

• Affidavit of Employer, signed by an officer, director or general counsel of employer at the Washington office dated within six months prior to the date the application is submitted with the WSBA

• Certification of Applicant

• Certificate(s) of Admission to Practice and Good Standing, in all jurisdictions where you are admitted or have ever been admitted, dated within six months prior to the date the application is submitted with the WSBA.

• Two Good Moral Character Certificates, signed and dated within six months prior to the application is submitted with the WSBA

• Upload one Authorization and Release form, signed and notarized within six months prior to the date the application is considered submitted with the WSBA

• Application fee of $620, payable to the Washington State Bar Association.  This fee is separate from the NCBE Investigation fee.

All applicants for Admission by Motion must take the Washington Law Component (WLC), a 60-question online test that can be taken at any time after submitting an application. House counsel applicants do not have to take this test, but they do have access to the materials if they want to review them.

If you are employed as House Counsel in Washington State, you can choose between applying for the limited House Counsel license or for full admission and licensing by way of admission by motion. The WSBA encourages lawyers who are licensed in another U.S. state or territory and have active legal experience for three of the past five years, to apply for admission by motion. Lawyers who are admitted by motion are members of the WSBA and are fully licensed to practice law and appear in Washington State Courts. Lawyers licensed under Washington Supreme Court Admission and Practice Rule (APR))8(f) as House Counsel are strictly limited to providing advice to their employer-client and cannot appear in court, but they still must abide by the same MCLE requirements and pay the same license fees as active status lawyers. Additionally, if a lawyer licensed as House Counsel under Washington Supreme Court (APR)8(f) later applies for full admission by motion, they will have to pay all of the same application fees again.

• Complete the Online Application for Licensure
• Certification of Applicant
• Affidavit of Employer/Organization/Program
• Affidavit of Attorney of Record
      (a)  If you are employed by a law firm, accompanying your application must be a letter from your employer stating that              you will be rendering services only to indigents.
      (b)  If you are not a graduate of an ABA-approved law school, satisfactory proof of “active legal experience for at least             3 of the  5 years immediately preceding the filing of the application” is required in order to satisfy APR 8(c) and APR 3(b).
• Certificate(s) of Admission to Practice and Standing in all jurisdictions where you are admitted or have ever been admitted, dated within six months prior to the date the application is submitted with the WSBA.
• One Authorization and Release Form signed and notarized within six months prior to the date the application is submitted with the WSBA.

WSBA staff issues an electronic ID card to the applicant's online user home page, and forwards a copy to your supervising lawyer by email.  Applicants may not act as a Rule 9 licensed legal intern until they receive an ID card and supervision officially begins. 

To apply for the Law Clerk Program, you must meet the qualifications stated in the Washington Supreme Court Admission and Practice Rule (APR) 6(b).

1. Be of good moral character and fitness;
2. Bachelor’s degree from a school with approved accreditation;
3. Be engaged in regular, full-time employment in Washington State in a law office, legal department or court;
4. Have an established tutor relationship and;
5. Pay the $100 non-refundable application fee.

Upon submission of your Law Clerk application, you may provide a petition for advanced standing. With your petition, you must provide proof of courses taken, syllabi and course material.

*Basic Legal Skills cannot be granted for advanced standing.

Applications are due 60 days prior to the Board meeting in which you wish to apply for consideration. For example, if a Board meeting is on August 2^nd, your application would be due June 1^st.

The annual fee ($2,000) must be paid in full  by January 31^st each year. There is no payment plan available.

No, if enrolled sometime during the year, you can make a pro-rated payment based on the number of months enrolled that year. For example, if enrolled in August you would pay an enrollment fee of $830.00 ($166/month x 5 months). Then, each year thereafter, you would pay the annual fee.

Once your application is reviewed, you will be assigned a liaison from the Law Clerk Board. The assigned liaison will visit you and your tutor at your office to conduct an interview. The liaison will bring a recommendation to the Board for review at their next meeting. You will be notified within one week after the Board meeting on your enrollment status.

A tutor must meet the qualifications stated in the Washington Supreme Court Admission and Practice Rule (APR) 7. A primary tutor must meet the following requirements:

1. Only act as a tutor for one clerk at a time;
2. Be an active member in good standing;
3. Active legal experience for at least 10 of the last 12 years (2 of those years must be in WA); and
4. Certify to the applicant’s employment;

No. For all Law Clerk applicants, there is a $100 non-refundable administrative processing fee.

The fees are determined by the type of application submitted in addition to when the application is submitted electronically.  Late submission of the application, payment, Authorization and Release form, and Certificates of Good Moral Character, must be submitted online by 11:59 P.M. (PST/PDT) the day of the deadline.

• Applications, including payment, Authorization and Release form, and Certificates of Good Moral Character must be submitted online by 11:59 P.M. the day of the deadline.  Applications or payments submitted after the first deadline will incur a late fee. 
• Applications with incomplete or missing payment, will not be processed and will be disqualified if not received by the final deadline.

• Application filing fees can be paid by one of the following methods: 
• Visa
• MasterCard
• American Express
• Electronic Funds Transfer – online only & no transaction fee
• Check - those who choose to pay by check will need to print the invoice to mail in with the check


• Make checks payable to “Washington State Bar Association” checks must be postmarked by the filing deadline by which you electronically submitted your application. 


• Checks and Electronic Funds Transfers payments take six business days to reflect your online account.


• Retain a copy of your payment form to guard against loss and ensure proof of timely filing. Please mail your check payment to the following address:
  • Washington State Bar Association
  • 1325 4th Avenue, Suite 600
  • Seattle, WA 98101


• All bank card transactions are subject to separate non-refundable transaction fee of 2.5%.  There is no transaction fee for payments by electronic funds transfer or check.


• In order to use a debit or credit card to charge your application filing fee, once your application is complete and you click the "Submit Application" button you will be directed to the Payment Options screen where you must select the credit card option. Debit cards are processed as a credit card transaction.


• Once you submit your card information on the website, the issuer of the card will either approve or reject the transaction. If approved, the transaction is PENDING, awaiting the WSBA’s card processor to either accept or reject it. If the transaction is successful, you will receive an email stating that your transaction was APPROVED.


• If a transaction is denied by WSBA or the WSBA’s card processor for any reason, that transaction will never process and your application will not be submitted. You will receive an email stating your transaction was DECLINED. However, your card may show that transaction PENDING for a few days, then it should disappear.


• Credit card and debit card transactions will appear on your account as Washington State Bar Association.

Yes. If using a debit or credit card to pay the application filing fee, a processing fee will be charged. The processing fee will appear when you choose the credit card method of payment.

• Human error caused by pressing the wrong key when using a computer to input data.
  
• The name on the credit card does not exactly match the name provided on the billing information screen. The name provided in the billing information screen must match the name on the credit card used, which may not always be the applicant's name.
• The address provided in the billing information screen does not exactly match the billing address for the credit card used to charge the filing fee. Note that the address provided in the billing information screen must be the same billing address as is on file for the credit card being used, which may not always be the same as the applicant's current address.
• The credit card must have the capability of communicating with the board’s security protocols. Some very small credit card issuers do not have this capability and the transaction will never go through.
• Please note that each time an applicant submits credit card information, it appears to the issuer of the credit card that a transaction is taking place. Therefore, the issuer of the credit card processes each attempt as a pending transaction, which could decrease the available line of credit. It can take a number of business days for the unsuccessful transactions to disappear from pending status and the corresponding available credit to reappear.