First-Year Law School Students
As a new law student, you may think that bar admission is something to deal with down the road, toward the end of your legal education. While this is true regarding the bar examination, which you cannot take until after graduation, you can take action now to get started on the background investigation, with the goal of having it completed by graduation.
There are monetary benefits to filing a student registration with the board in your first year of law school as you will pay a reduced fee compared to waiting until your third year of law school. Additionally, while you will be required to submit a supplement to your application as well as an Examination Application in your third year of law school, the bulk of the filing requirements will have already been met and the majority of the investigation will have been completed allowing you to better focus on your last year of law school and bar examination preparations.
The link below is to the presentation given by the board at the Florida law schools regarding the option to file a student registration with the board:
1L Student Information (PDF - 1.8 MB)
Graduating Law School Students
As a law school student in your last year of law school and nearing graduation, it is now time to either file your supplemental documentation as required for an applicant who registered in the first year of law school or to file your full bar application. In either case, you will also be filing an Examination Application for an upcoming bar examination.
It is highly recommended that you either convert your student registration into a bar application or file your initial bar application as early in your third year of law school as possible. This has two benefits:
- It will give you the best chance to have your background investigation completed in full prior to graduation so that you can fully focus on examination preparation after graduation; and
- It will give you the best chance to avoid any delays in admission to The Florida Bar when you are successful on the examination.
The link below is to the presentation given by the board at Florida law schools for third-year law school students with information about filing your application with the board:
3L Student Information (PDF - 685 KB)