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District of Columbia

Admission on motion available  Court page

Common questions

Can a lawyer be admitted in District of Columbia without taking the bar exam (admission on motion)?

Admission on motion available. Actively practiced law as member in good standing for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding filing

Does District of Columbia accept a transferred Uniform Bar Exam score?

Yes, Rule 46(d): UBE score >=266 (NextGen >=616 accepted from July 2026), attained within 5 years before filing; single administration; MPRE >=75; ABA JD/LLB or non-ABA plus 26 credit hours at ABA school in UBE subjects; MBE-only transfer no longer allowed; no DC-specific course found

What are the pro hac vice requirements and fee in District of Columbia state courts?

Local counsel: Yes. Must associate with a DC Bar member Fee: $100 application fee

Admission on motion

Requirements
Actively practiced law as member in good standing for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding filing
Years of practice
at least 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding the filing of the application
Reciprocity
No reciprocity condition found
Reciprocity states
Not applicable: no reciprocity
Fee
$595 plus NCBE investigation fee ($450 to $875) (Rule 46 motion by 3-year provision; an older FAQ says $400)
Rule
D.C. Ct. App. R. 46(e)
UBE score transfer
Yes, Rule 46(d): UBE score >=266 (NextGen >=616 accepted from July 2026), attained within 5 years before filing; single administration; MPRE >=75; ABA JD/LLB or non-ABA plus 26 credit hours at ABA school in UBE subjects; MBE-only transfer no longer allowed; no DC-specific course found
UBE minimum
266 or higher OR NextGen UBE score of 616 or higher
UBE score window
not more than five years old at the time of the score-transfer request
MPRE
75 or higher
Other routes
Military Spouse Admission (Rule 46-B), Legal Assistance by Law Students (Rule 48), Special Legal Consultant (Rule 46(f))
Foreign attorneys
Yes - court may license foreign-admitted attorneys in good standing as Special Legal Consultants without examination
Military spouse
Rule 46-B Military Spouse Admission

State-court pro hac vice

Rule
D.C. Ct. App. R. 49(c)(7)
Local counsel
Yes. Must associate with a DC Bar member
Limits
No more than 5 cases pending in DC courts per calendar year absent exceptional cause (VERBATIM: 'No person may apply for admission pro hac vice in more than five (5) cases pending in the courts of the District of Columbia per calendar year'); may not maintain a DC office for law practice
Fee
$100 application fee
Procedure
Motion with sworn declaration of compliance; court has discretion to grant, deny, withdraw. Details of good-standing certificate NOT FOUND

Language from the source documents

12 quoted passages
On motion
An applicant may be admitted to the Bar of this court without examination in this jurisdiction , if the applicant has actively practiced law as a member in good standing of a bar of a court of general jurisdiction in the United States for a period of at least 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding the filing of the application.
dccourts.gov
On-motion rule
(e) Admission Without Examination of Members of the Bar of Other Jurisdictions.
dccourts.gov
UBE transfer
Minimum Legacy UBE Score 266 Accepts NextGen UBE Score -->Yes Minimum NextGen UBE Score 616 Date First Acceptance NextGen UBE Score July 2026 Maximum Score Age 5 years
ncbex.org
Other routes
Rules Rule 46. Admission to the Bar Rule 46-B Military Spouse Admission Rule 48. Legal Assistance by Law Students Rule 49. Unauthorized Practice of Law
admissions.dcappeals.gov
Pro hac vice rule
(7) Pro Hac Vice. A person who is not a D.C. Bar Member may provide legal services in or reasonably related to a pending or potential proceeding in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals or the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
admissions.dcappeals.gov
Local counsel
(ii) before applying for pro hac vice admission, has arranged to be supervised (as defined by Rule 49(b)(9)) by a D.C. Bar Member;
admissions.dcappeals.gov
phv_limits
(v) has not applied for admission pro hac vice in 5 or more proceedings (excluding pro bono proceedings) in the courts of the District of Columbia in the prior 365 days, unless the person reasonably believes good cause exists for the court to grant admission in more than 5 proceedings.
admissions.dcappeals.gov
Pro hac vice fee
(F) Application Fee. The application fee for admission pro hac vice is of $100.00.
dccourts.gov
Years of practice
if the applicant has actively practiced law as a member in good standing of a bar of a court of general jurisdiction in the United States for a period of at least 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding the filing of the application.
dccourts.gov
UBE minimum score
A qualifying UBE score of 266 or higher OR NextGen UBE score of 616 or higher
admissions.dcappeals.gov
UBE score window
may be transferred if the scores are not more than five years old at the time of the score -transfer request.
dccourts.gov
Foreign attorneys
has been admitted to practice (or has obtained the equivalent of admission) in a foreign country, and is in good standing as an attorney or counselor at law (or the equivalent of either) in that country
dccourts.gov

Quotes are copied from the court or bar document and machine-checked against its text. The current rules control.

18 of 18 fields have a value, are stated as none, or do not apply.

Sources

admissions.dcappeals.govadmissions.dcappeals.govadmissions.dcappeals.govdccourts.govdcbar.orgncbex.org

Federal district courts in District of Columbia

Last checked 2026-10-05 · · Back to the map