Mississippi admission laws are stated in the Rules Governing Admission to the Mississippi Bar, and the Mississippi Code Annotated. Supreme Court of Mississippi is the admitting body.
Minimum age of admission is 21 years. The applicant should have completed a general course of study of law in a law school approved by the American Bar Association. Undergraduates are required to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college, or three years of college work from a university/college which provides six years prelaw and law course.
Recognized exams are Multistate Bar Examination, Multistate Essay Examination, and Multistate Performance test. Applicant should also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination with a scale score of 75. Attorneys from other states are admitted to practice in Mississippi without exam, if s/he has at least five years of practice immediately preceding the application, and that the other state reciprocates to Mississippi by admitting Mississippi attorneys in that state. Additionally, the attorney from other state should meet the general requirements for admission to Mississippi Bar.
Each attorney should dedicate 12 hours yearly for Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”). An year according to the Mississippi CLE calendar starts from August.
Miss. Code Ann. § 73-3-25 reads in part:
“§§ 73-3-25 Admission of lawyers from other states
Any lawyer from another state whose requirements for admission to the bar are equivalent to those of this state, who has practiced not less than five (5) years in a state where he was then admitted may be admitted to the practice in this state upon taking and passing such examination as to his knowledge of law as may be prescribed by rules adopted by the Board of Bar Admissions and approved by the Supreme Court and upon complying with the other requirements as set out in the laws and rules governing admission to the bar. Provided, however, the laws of the state from which the applicant comes grant similar privileges to the applicants from this state.”
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Miss. Mand. CLE Rule 3
“Rule 3. CLE requirement.
Each attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Mississippi shall attend, or complete an approved substitute for attendance, a minimum of twelve (12) actual hours of approved Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) during each successive twelve (12) month period (the “CLE year”) from and after August 1 of each year, of which one hour shall be in the area of legal ethics, professional responsibility, professionalism or malpractice prevention (the “ethics/professionalism hour”).”
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