2022-2023 Registration Guide

Bar Exam Information

Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)

Effective March 1, 2018, Massachusetts will be a Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) jurisdiction and will administer the Massachusetts Law Component. The Massachusetts UBE passing score is 270. The exam is comprised of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).

UBE scores earned in another UBE jurisdiction may be transferred for admission in Massachusetts within 36 months of sitting for the exam.

Massachusetts Law Component (MLC)

The MLC is a multiple-choice test based on substantial outlines provided covering essential highlights and key distinctions of Massachusetts law and procedure. The outlines will include summaries on 9 areas of law: Access to Justice; Anti-Discrimination Law; Business Organizations; Civil Procedure; Consumer Protection, G.L. c. 93A; Criminal Law and Procedure; Domestic Relations; Estates and Wills; and Evidence.

Applicants who file a petition for admission to Massachusetts after March 1, 2018 will be required to complete the MLC prior to becoming admitted to the bar in Massachusetts.

Applicants will be sent an email with the link and instructions to download and review the MLC outlines. Once the outlines have been downloaded, Applicants will receive a link for directions to access and complete the exam. The MLC is an online, pass or fail exam. The MLC is untimed and open-book. There is no fee to take the MLC. Applicants may take the exam several times, but must pass to complete the requirement prior to admission.

Course Required of New Attorneys

All attorneys newly admitted to practice in Massachusetts are required to completed a one-day, in- person course on professionalism for new lawyers (SJC R. 3:16, effective Sept. 1, 2013). Attorneys must complete the course within 18 months of their date of admission to the bar.

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