To seek admission to The Florida Bar, a person must meet the eligibility qualifications summarized below and file the appropriate applications and fees.

Educational Qualification. All applicants seeking admission to The Florida Bar must be enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school that will ultimately result in the awarding of a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, or must have already been awarded the JD degree from an ABA-accredited law school at a time when the law school was accredited or within 12 months of accreditation or be found educationally qualified by the board under the alternative method of educational qualification as set forth in the rules.

Technical Competence. All applicants shall produce satisfactory evidence of technical competence through successful completion of the Florida Bar Examination.

1. Admission to practice law is by examination only.
2. The Florida Bar Examination consists of the General Bar Examination [Part A – Florida-prepared Examination and Part B – the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)] and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE).
• Applicants must complete the requirements for law school graduation prior to submitting to the General Bar Examination (Parts A or B).
• Scores achieved by applicants on the MBE administered by any other admitting jurisdiction are accepted if the score meets the criteria required under rule 4-26.2 and rule 4-18.1.
• Applicants may sit for the MPRE prior to graduation from law school.
3. There is no residence requirement for admission to The Florida Bar except as noted under rule 5-15.

Proof of Character and Fitness. All applicants shall produce satisfactory evidence of good moral character, an adequate knowledge of the standards and ideals of the profession, and proof that the applicant is otherwise fit to take the oath and perform the obligations and responsibilities of an attorney. The background investigation cannot be initiated without the completed Bar Application, Authorization and Release Form, and appropriate fee. Persons beginning law school are encouraged to apply by the deadlines set out in rule 2-23.1. Third-year law students, including those who previously registered and those who did not file an early registration, are encouraged to file the applicable Bar Application forms at the beginning of their senior year. The following eligibility requirements apply:

1. Persons must be 18 years of age or older to be admitted.
2. Persons who have been disbarred from the practice of law or who have resigned pending disciplinary proceedings shall not be eligible to apply for a period of 5 years from the date of disbarment or 3 years from the date of resignation or such longer period as is set for readmission by the jurisdictional authority.
3. Persons who have been suspended for disciplinary reasons from the practice of law in a foreign jurisdiction are not eligible to apply until expiration of the period of suspension. If the person’s suspension occurred in the person’s home state, then the person is not eligible to apply for admission to The Florida Bar until the person is reinstated to the practice of law in the person’s home state. See rule 2-13.2.
4. Persons who have been convicted of a felony are not eligible to apply until the person’s civil rights have been restored.
5. Persons who are serving a sentence of felony probation regardless of adjudication of guilt are not eligible to apply until termination of the period of probation.
6. Applicants who have been refused a favorable recommendation through the filing of Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law that have not been reversed by the Supreme Court of Florida are not eligible to seek admission to The Florida Bar until 2 years after the date the board delivered its adverse findings or such period as set by the findings.

For further information relating to admission requirements refer to the Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to The Bar (Rules).