Ohio admission laws are stated in the Supreme Court Rules for government of the Bar of Ohio. Admitting body is the Board of Bar Examiners appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court. Minimum age of admission is 21 years.
Applicant should hold a juris doctor degree or equivalent from an American Bar Association approved law school. Undergraduates should hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university.
Recognized exams are Multistate Bar Examination, and Multistate Performance Test. Applicant should also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination with a scale score of 85. Attorneys from other states are admitted to practice in Ohio without exam, if the attorney was admitted to practice law in the attorney’s state Bar, and the attorney was engaged in practice of law for five out of ten years immediately preceding the application.
Each attorney should dedicate 24 hours in every two years to Continuing Legal Education (CLE).
Ohio Gov. Bar. Rule I reads in part:
“Rule I. Admission To The Practice Of Law
Section 1. General Requirements.
To be admitted to the practice of law in Ohio, an applicant shall satisfy all of the following requirements:
(A) Be at least twenty-one years of age;
(B) Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in accordance with any of the following:
(1) Prior to admission to law school;
(2) Subsequent to admission to law school, through completion of courses and credits other than those received in law school, if the applicant has made a record of academic achievement that is satisfactory to the Court and receives Court approval;
(3) From participation in a joint bachelor’s/law degree program that has been reviewed and approved by the Court, requires at least seven years of full-time study, and results in the award of both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree;
(C) Have earned a J.D. or an L.L.B. degree from a law school that was approved by the American Bar Association at the time the degree was earned or, if not located in the United States, from a law school evaluated and approved in accordance with Section 2(C) or Section 9(C)(13) of this rule;
(D) Prior to taking the Ohio bar examination or being admitted without examination pursuant to Section 9 of this rule, have demonstrated that the applicant possesses the requisite character, fitness, and moral qualifications for admission to the practice of law and have been approved as to character, fitness, and moral qualifications under procedures provided in this rule;
(E) Have passed both the Ohio bar examination and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, or have been approved for admission without examination pursuant to Section 9 of this rule;
(F) Have taken the oath of office pursuant to Section 8(A) of this rule.”
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