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
July 2013 Application Department
100 Washington Street
Hartford, Connecticut  06106-4411

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

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 July 2013 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 August 30, 2013.

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 April 30, 2013 (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 Corporation (CCC) which provides relay message services between TDD and non-TDD users: 711 or 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):

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 booklets for February 2010 and later are available for $35.00 per booklet. A limited number of booklets for July 2009 and earlier are available for $25.00 per booklet. 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. Credit Inquiry. As a part of the routine background investigation into each applicant’s character and fitness to practice law in Connecticut, our office will pull a credit profile from Experian. If there are negative items found on the credit report, the applicant will receive a letter along with the pertinent portions of the report with the relevant items highlighted. Applicants who receive such a letter are expected to address each negative item.

20. 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.

21. Selective Service Registration. You can obtain information on the registration requirements and obtain your registration number at http://www.sss.gov. 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.

22. Employer References. The Committee suggests that you send all Form 11’s by certified mail, return receipt requested. (The return receipt should go back to you in the first instance, not the Bar Examining Committee.) In that case, if a previous employer fails to submit the Form 11, you can establish that you sent the form by submitting the original signed return receipt postcard (“green card”) or, in the alternative, the original mailing receipt attached to the www.USPS.com printout showing the item was delivered.

23. 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. Original driving records and no record or no hit letters must be received in the CBEC Administrative Office no later than sixty (60) days after issuance for jurisdictions in which an applicant is currently licensed and/or currently resides (whether permanent or temporary).

24. Certificates of Good Standing. You must contact the jurisdiction(s) in which you are currently or were licensed to practice law and request a certificate of good standing. If you are unable to secure a certificate of good standing, then you must request a letter from the jurisdiction(s) setting forth your current status. Original certificates of good standing and letters of current status must be received in the CBEC Administrative Office no later than thirty (30) days after issuance.