History of the Connecticut Judicial Seal Home Home BannerBanner

 

 
Connecticut Bar Examining Committee
 

Admission by Examination
Instructions, Forms and Requirements

Be sure you read and understand the rules of the Superior Court and the regulations of the Bar Examining Committee governing Admission to the Connecticut bar.

StarImportant Regulation Changes - Read these first! - (PDF)
    
UPDATED JULY 21, 2009

February 2010 Instructions and Forms
July 2009 Instructions & Forms

 

 
 

1. Winter 2010  Bar Examination Schedule & Deadlines

Date  Deadline
30 October 2009 Friday First day to file for February 2010 exam
31 December 2009 Thursday Non-Standard Testing Petition Deadline
31 December 2009 Thursday Application Filing Deadline
17 February 2010 Wednesday

Deadline for receipt of law degrees and for filing of proof of law degree in administrative office

23 February 2010 Tuesday Connecticut Essay Examination
24 February 2010 Wednesday Multistate Bar Examination
30 March 2010 Tuesday Deadline for receipt of transferred MBE scores
19 April 2010 Monday Deadline to complete your application
30 April 2010 Friday Release of results

Important Note Regarding Regulation Amendments and Filing Deadlines for February 2010: The amendments to Article III-3 relating to when an application to take the bar examination and for admission to the bar shall be filed are effective 90 days from publication. These amendments were published on July 21, 2009 and because the effective date is after October 1, 2009, the new filing deadline cannot take effect until filing for the July 2010 bar examination. For this reason, the application to take the February 2010 bar examination and for admission to the bar shall be filed between October 30, 2009 and December 31, 2009. 

2. Eligibility requirement – approved law degree. To be eligible to sit for the February 2010 examination you must have received your law degree by February 17, 2010 (CBEC Regulations Article II) from an approved law school. You will not be permitted to sit for the February 2010 bar examination unless your certification and final transcript are received by the Committee by February 17, 2010.

Your law school dean must complete the Certificate of Dean of Law School (Form 4) only after you have received your degree and must attach a final, official transcript of your grades (transcript must show date degree was conferred) and a copy of your application for admission to law school. Your law school may require you to execute a special document to permit them to forward your transcript and application.

3. Filing deadline. The filing deadline for the February 2010 bar examination is December 31, 2009. Article III-1 of the CBEC Regulation defines "filed" as the date the application is RECEIVED (not the date it is postmarked) with the correct fee ($450.00). Applications cannot be filed on-line or via fax or via e-mail.

To be considered filed you must complete and file all of the following by December 31, 2009:  Download forms from list below

Check Form Number and Title
 [     ] Form 1E - Application
 [     ] Form 5 - Status Sheet
 [     ] Form 6 - Application forms filing checklist
 [     ] Form 12 - Address labels
 [     ] Form 14 (2) - Summary sheets
 [     ] $450.00 certified check or money order (the Bar Examining Committee does not accept credit cards, personal, corporate or law firm checks)

If applicable to you, you may also have to file the following by December 31, 2009:

Check Form Number and Title
[     ] Form 2 - Additional Response Page
[     ] Form 7 - Authorization to Release Medical Records
[     ] Form 8 - Description of Mental Disorders
[     ] Form 15 - Non-Standard Testing Notification
[     ] Form 27a - Military Service
[     ] MBE Transfer Form

Retain a copy of everything you file with the Committee.

You should mail your application well in advance of the filing deadline to allow adequate transit time and you should plan to file as early as possible to allow time to correct problems.

4. Where to file. Submit your application, fee and supporting documents to:

Connecticut Bar Examining Committee
February 2010 Application Department
100 Washington Street
Hartford, Connecticut  06106-4411


Office hours: Monday - Friday  8:30am - 4:30pm*
*except state holidays

5. Typed answers. Other than the "checkboxes" which may be completed by hand, and the handwriting exemplar which MUST be completed by hand, your answers on the bar application must be typed or completed by other electronic means.

6. How to answer the questions. Answer all questions fully and frankly. If a question does not apply, so indicate. Do not leave any questions blank unless specifically authorized by the question. You are encouraged to attach a narrative response to any appropriate question (e.g. to explain a student loan default disclosed in Question #39). Use Form 2 if you need additional space to answer any question.

7. Time limits on bar application questions. Note that time limitations apply to certain questions on the application. An occurrence, otherwise disclosable, but beyond the time limitation, need not be disclosed.

8. Complete answers. If a question requires you to list information, be certain to provide all the information requested. Do not merely refer to attached documents. You must respond to the question as asked.

9. Complete addresses. Provide complete addresses (including zip codes) where required.

10. Signature/acknowledgment. Be sure your application is signed and notarized. Note that your application is a sworn statement and is treated as such. Please put your name on your remittance.

11. Acknowledgment of receipt by CBEC. You will normally receive notification of the receipt of your application within 15 days of receipt by the administrative office. This is not a statement of eligibility to sit for the examination. You will receive notice of eligibility and test site assignment about two (2) weeks before the examination, but only after timely receipt in the administrative office of proof that you have received your law degree. Keep the notice of test site assignment for future reference.

12. Correspondence with the CBEC/address change. Indicate on all correspondence that you are a February 2010 examination applicant. Please notify the Committee in writing of any change in your address otherwise important notices may not get to you in a timely fashion.

13. MBE transfer. The Bar Examining Committee will accept transferred MBE scores under certain limited circumstances. See instructions accompanying the transfer forms. All transferred MBE scores must be received in the administrative office by 4PM on March 30, 2010.

14. Non-standard testing/TDD. If you have a disability which will require special assistance or accommodations on the bar examination, you must advise the Committee at the time you file your application and file a complete Petition For Non-Standard Testing no later than December 31, 2009 (forms available on the Committee's website). Hearing and speech-impaired applicants with a TDD can contact the Bar Examining Committee through the Converse Communication Center (CCC) which provides relay message services between TDD and non-TDD users: 1-800-842-9710.

15. MPRE/professional responsibility course. The Professional Responsibility requirement must be satisfied within four years prior to the date you file your application or within one year after the date you file your application, in either of two ways (see CBEC Regulations Article IV for details):

(a) by passing the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) with a scaled score of at least 80;
(you can register for the MPRE on-line External Link - You are leaving the Connecticut Judicial Branch website ), or

(b) by obtaining a grade of "C" or better in a course on Professional Responsibility at an approved law school (CLE courses are NOT acceptable)..

16. Special note to applicants who have taken the New York bar examination. It is not necessary to file a copy of the Applicant's Affidavit which you filed (or will file) to sit for the New York Bar Examination. It is necessary to submit a copy of your application for admission to the New York Bar which is filed with the Appellate Division after you have passed the New York bar examination.

17. Sample answers/sample questions. The Bar Examining Committee prepares a booklet of sample answers to a past bar examination. The booklet contains all twelve questions from a recent essay examination and seven sample answers to each question. A limited number of these booklets are available for $25.00. Also available is a five-year collection of past questions (without answers) for $15.00. The most recent essay questions are available on the Committee's website. More information...

18. Character and fitness review. Passing the bar examination is only one step in the admission process and does not automatically entitle the candidate to practice law in Connecticut. The Committee begins the review of a candidate's character and fitness immediately upon the filing of the application for admission to the bar. However, the Committee will usually conduct a hearing only after the candidate has taken and passed the bar examination and the candidate's file is complete. While the Committee attempts to have all eligible candidates admitted at the group ceremony, a candidate whose application presents complex or unresolved issues of character and/or fitness will not be admitted until such issues have been resolved to the Committee's satisfaction. More information...

19. Conduct that creates a presumption of lack of good moral character. The Committee calls to your attention Article VI-11 concerning conduct which creates a presumption of lack of good moral character. It is the policy of the Committee to view any conduct which comes under that section as a serious character and fitness matter. For example, a candidate who is in arrears or default in any child support obligations will have his/her application placed in abeyance until the arrearage or default has been corrected.

20. Selective Service Registration. You can obtain information on the registration requirements and obtain your registration number at http://www.sss.gov.External Link - You are leaving the Connecticut Judicial Branch website In brief, men born from March 29, 1957 to December 31, 1959 were never required to register because the registration program was not in operation at the time they turned 18. The requirement to register was reinstated in 1980 and applies to all men born on or after January 1, 1960.

21. Driving Histories/No Record Letters (Question 49). Please refer to the following link for a list of U.S. Driving Record Repositories. You must contact the repositories directly to determine whether information has changed. If you are unable to obtain a driving history from a jurisdiction, you should request either a "no record" letter or a "no hit" letter. You may need to obtain this from the jurisdiction's main DMV office. Some local offices cannot generate this sort of report. For foreign driving histories, you can contact the country's consular office in the US and they can usually find the information (forms, cost and address) for you. Please refer to the following link for additional guidance on obtaining Foreign Driving Histories. You must contact the repositories directly to determine whether information has changed.

22. February 2010 Application Forms and Instructions. See How to use Acrobat® fillable forms.

Form
Number

Description

Fillable
PDF
1E Application (deadline 12/31/09) 1E.pdf
2 Additional Response Page (use this form if there is insufficient space on the application to answer fully any question; photocopy as necessary.) 2.pdf
3 Amendment - (use this form to amend an answer on your application after it has been filed); photocopy as necessary.) 3.pdf
4 Certificate of Dean of Law School 4.pdf
5 Status Sheet 5.pdf
6 Application Forms Filing Checklist 6.pdf
7 Authorization to Release Medical Records 7.pdf
8 Description of Mental, Emotional, Nervous Disorders or Chemical Dependency 8.pdf
10 Personal reference form 10.pdf
11 Employer reference form 11.pdf
12 Address labels 12.pdf
13 Address change labels 13.pdf
13a Residences - continuation page 13a.pdf
14 Summary sheets - (submit in duplicate) 14.pdf
15 Non-standard Testing Notification 15.pdf
17a Education - continuation page 17a.pdf
18a Employment - continuation page 18a.pdf
27a Military service 27a.pdf
  MBE Transfer Instructions Instruc.
Form 46 MBE Transfer Form 46.pdf
Form 49a License 49a.pdf
NCBE NCBE MBE Transfer Form: https://secure.ncbex2.org/php/score_transfer/index.php

The results of the February 2010 bar examination will be available on the internet at approximately 12 noon on Friday, April 30, 2010 at http://www.jud.ct.gov/CBEC/results.htm.

Top

 

Connecticut Judicial Branch Website Links:

Attorneys | Case Look-up | Courts | Directories | Educational Resources | E-Services | Español | FAQ's | Juror Information | Media | Opinions | Opportunities | Self-Help | Home

Common Legal Words | Contact Us | Site Map | Website Policies and Disclaimers

Copyright © 2009, State of Connecticut Judicial Branch