Bar Exam and MPRE: Moral Character Determination

Moral Character Requirement

All students must pass an intensive Moral Character Determination to be admitted to the bar.

When to Apply for Moral Character Determination

The bar encourages students to apply at the beginning of their 3L year but, because the application is so detailed, you may want to start gathering information earlier.

Cost of the Moral Character Determination

As of March 2019, the Moral Character Determination costs $551. Applications that take more than 30 months to complete incur an additional $265 extension fee.

All students must provide:

• Finger prints taken using Live Scan technology. This typically costs $20-$30.
• Information on everywhere you have lived in the past 8 years, including dates you lived there and the addresses, even for college dorms. 
• Information on every college you have attended, including student ID numbers and dates of attendance.
• Information on every job you have held since age 18 that lasted more than 6 months or was law related, including dates you worked there, why you left, a telephone number, and your supervisor's name.
• 5 personal references, including at least one member of the bar.

If relevant, you will also need to provide:

• Other professional licenses, including the address of the issuing authority, your license number,  and the date you recieved it.
• Details of military service, including serial numbers, dates of service, and a copy of DD Form 214.
• Details of prior attempts to join the bar
• Former names, dates you used them, and the reason you changed your name.
• Out-of-state driving records for the past 5 years, in an original, certified copy.

If you have ever had any legal, financial, or personal problems, you may need to provide detailed documentation of those problems and evidence of your rehabilitation, potentially including:

• Court documents from criminal proceedings, civil litigation, bankruptcies, and conservatorship proceedings.
• Permission to contact schools, licensing organizations, and the military about prior scholastic, professional, and military discipline.
• Additional statements from you, your family and friends, probation officers, or mental health practitioners.
• Evidence of mental health or substance abuse treatment.
• Evidence you have successfully completed probation, parole, or professional discipline or obtained an expungement or pardon.
• Evidence you have made restitution to victims, paid fines, and completed charity work.