All admissions to the New Hampshire Bar shall be by examination only. The Supreme Court of the state is the admitting body responsible for admissions to the New Hampshire Bar. In order to apply for the Bar exam an applicant should be a person domiciled in the United States and should be at least 18 years of age.
The educational qualifications required for taking the New Hampshire Bar examination are set forth in New Hampshire Supreme Court Rule 42(4). An applicant must have completed at least three years of work required for a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college, or must have graduated from a law school approved by the American Bar Association. The applicant must have graduated from a law school approved by the American Bar Association having a three (3) year full time course or a four (4) year part time course. A person who has graduated from a law school in an English-speaking, common law country and who is a member in good standing of the Bar of that country can also apply for admission to the New Hampshire Bar.
The Bar exam is composed of three parts, namely the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). The MPT and MEE must be taken in New Hampshire. An applicant may transfer his/her MBE score, of the same test administration, from another jurisdiction. Successful completion of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), with a scaled score of at least 79, is also a prerequisite for admission to the New Hampshire Bar.
An applicant, domiciled in the U.S. and at least 18 years of age, may also get admission to the Bar without taking or passing the Bar exam, upon a motion, satisfying some of the requirements for regular applicants. Applicants from the states of Vermont and Maine can be admitted to the New Hampshire Bar, without taking or passing the Bar exam, if these states admit New Hampshire applicants in to their respective state Bars without taking or passing their exams. However, the Vermont and Maine applicants will have to meet certain general requirements including New Hampshire’s minimum continuing legal education requirements.
All active members of the New Hampshire Bar should complete twelve (12) hours of continuing legal education in each reporting year. At least two (2) hours of such continuing legal education shall be in the area of legal ethics, professionalism or the prevention of malpractice, substance abuse or attorney-client disputes.
N.H. Sup. Ct. RULE 42
Admission to the Bar; Committee on Character and Fitness
(1) Unless otherwise provided in these rules, all admissions to the bar shall be by examination only. A board of bar examiners consisting of thirteen (13) or more members of the bar of the State will be appointed to examine persons desiring to be admitted to the bar. Appointments to the Board of Bar Examiners shall be for terms of three (3) years.
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(3) (a) Any person domiciled in the United States of the age of 18 years shall be eligible to apply for examination provided he or she is possessed of the qualifications hereinafter provided.
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(4) (a) Every such applicant must furnish satisfactory proof that before beginning the study of law the applicant successfully completed at least three (3) years of work required for a bachelor’s degree in an accredited college or received an equivalent education in the opinion of the court….
(b) Every such applicant must have graduated from a law school approved by the American Bar Association having a three (3) year course and requiring students to devote substantially all their working time to study, called a full-time law school, or from a law school approved by the American Bar Association having a course of not less than four (4) school years equivalent in the number of working hours to a three (3) year course in a full-time law school and in which students devote only part of their working time to their studies, called a part-time law school….Study in any law school which conducts its courses by correspondence or does not require attendance of its students at its lectures or classes shall not constitute compliance with the rule.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing paragraph, a person who has graduated from a law school in an English-speaking, common law country and who has pursued a course of study substantially equivalent to that of a law school approved by the American Bar Association shall be eligible to apply for examination provided that such person is a member in good standing of the bar of that country, and (a) the holder of a master’s degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association, or (b) a member of the bar of one of the States of the United States who was admitted after examination and is in good standing.
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(f) In addition to the other requirements of this rule, all persons who desire to be admitted to practice law shall produce evidence of satisfactory completion of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. The Board of Bar Examiners shall determine the minimum score level which will establish satisfactory completion of the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, wherever such satisfactory completion may be required by these rules.
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(10) (a) An applicant who is domiciled in the United States, is of the age of 18 years, and meets the following requirements may, upon motion, be admitted to the practice of law without taking and passing the New Hampshire bar examination.
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(11) An applicant who is domiciled in the United States, is of the age of 18 years, and meets the following requirements may, upon motion, be admitted to the practice of law without taking and passing the New Hampshire bar examination, provided that the State of Vermont allows admission without examination of persons admitted to practice law in New Hampshire under circumstances comparable to those set forth in this rule.
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(g) Have completed at least fifteen hours of continuing legal education on New Hampshire practice and procedure in courses approved by the NHMCLE Board within one year immediately preceding the date upon which the motion is filed and be certified by the NHMCLE Board as satisfying this requirement; and
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(12) An applicant who is domiciled in the United States, is of the age of 18 years, and meets the following requirements may, upon motion, be admitted to the practice of law without taking and passing the New Hampshire bar examination, provided that the State of Maine allows admission without examination of persons admitted to practice law in New Hampshire under circumstances comparable to those set forth in this rule. The applicant shall.
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(h) Have completed at least fifteen hours of continuing legal education on New Hampshire practice and procedure in courses approved by the NHMCLE Board within one year immediately preceding the date upon which the motion is filed and be certified by the NHMCLE Board as satisfying this requirement; and
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(13) An applicant who is domiciled in the United States, is of the age of 18 years, and meets the following requirements may be admitted to the practice of law after taking and passing a variant of the New Hampshire bar examination to consist of rigorous, repeated and comprehensive evaluation of legal skills and abilities, the criteria for which will be established by the supreme court, and which will amount to more than the twelve hours of testing required for the conventional bar examination. The applicant shall:
(a) Have, prior to admission, and within one year of the date upon which the application for admission is filed, successfully completed, to the satisfaction of the board of bar examiners, the Daniel Webster Scholar Honors Program offered at the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire, and been certified by the board of bar examiners as satisfying this requirement;
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N.H. Sup. Ct. RULE 53.1
NHMCLE Requirement
A. Purpose. Continuing legal education improves the administration of justice and benefits the public interest. Regular participation in continuing legal education programs strengthens the professional skills of practicing lawyers, affords them periodic opportunities for professional self-evaluation and enhances the quality of legal services rendered to the public. This Rule requires active members of the New Hampshire Bar to participate in additional legal study throughout their careers.
B. Number of Hours Required
1. In General — Every person covered by this rule shall complete twelve (12) hours of continuing legal education in each reporting year. At least two (2) hours of such continuing legal education shall be in the area of legal ethics, professionalism or the prevention of malpractice, substance abuse or attorney-client disputes.
