Applying for Admission without Examination 

  

Iowa offers admission without examination (admission on motion) for attorneys licensed in another state or the District of Columbia who can demonstrate a prolonged period of the actual practice of law without significant character or fitness problems. 

  

What are the basic requirements for admission on motion? 

  

The applicant must: 

  

·         have been admitted to another state of the United States or the District of Columbia, 

·         have practiced law five full years while licensed within the seven years immediately preceding the date of the application and still holds a law license,  

·         be of good moral character, and 

·         file a certificate of admission, a certificate of regular practice, a certificate of good moral character, and a completed fingerprint card with the Office of Professional Regulation. 

  

Who is not eligible for admission on motion? 

  

An applicant is not eligible for admission on motion if: 

  

·         the applicant is currently subject to lawyer discipline in another jurisdiction,  

·         the applicant failed the Iowa bar examination within five years of the date of the application, or 

·         the applicant has failed five or more bar examinations.    

  

What is the fee for filing an application for admission on motion? 

 

The total fee is $625.  $300 of this amount is paid directly to the National Conference of Bar Examiners at the time the electronic application is filed.  The remaining $325 is paid to the Office of Professional Regulation as an administrative fee. 

  

What is the filing process? 

  

1)     Check to see that you meet all eligibility requirements listed above. 

2)     Request and complete the fingerprint card. See form below to request fingerprint card. 

3)     Send the fingerprint card, the $325 filing fee by check made payable to "Board of Law Examiners," and the certificates mentioned above to the address listed below.  

  

David M. Ewert 

Office of Professional Regulation 

Judicial Branch Building, Second Floor 

1111 East Court Avenue 

Des Moines, Iowa 50319 

 

·         NOTE: The certificates do not have to be filed at the time the application is filed and fee is paid.  However, if they are not filed within one or two months after the application is filed, they may delay consideration of your application.  

  

4)     Complete the electronic application and file it with the National Conference of Bar Examiners.  Pay the $300 investigative fee to the National Conference of Bar Examiners at the time the electronic application is filed.  Do not send a copy of the application to the Office of Professional Regulation.  The National Conference of Bar Examiners will submit the application to the Office of Professional Regulation when the character and fitness examination is complete. 

  

·         NOTE: Applications must be completed online.  If you are unable to complete the online application, you must contact the Office of Professional Regulation to request an exemption from the online filing requirement.  The filing fee should be sent to the Office of Professional Regulation contemporaneously with the online filing of the application with the National Conference of Bar Examiners.  If the fee is not received within 10 days after the application is filed, the application will be deleted and the applicant will have to file a new and complete application. 

 

5)     Please remember that you have a continuing duty to update your application.  Updates must be filed with the Office of Professional Regulation and the National Conference of Bar Examiners.  Any failure to promptly update an aspect of your application may result in denial of the application or disciplinary sanctions. 

  

For other questions on admission on motion, please review Iowa Court Rules 31.12 and 31.13 or review the answers to frequently asked questions.  

  

Complete this form to submit an electronic request for a fingerprint card: