Hawaii
Common questions
Can a lawyer be admitted in Hawaii without taking the bar exam (admission on motion)?
Not available. NCBE: does not provide for admission on motion
Does Hawaii accept a transferred Uniform Bar Exam score?
Does not accept transferred UBE (legacy or NextGen) scores; requires MBE, MEE, MPT, MPRE (min 85); NextGen UBE planned July 2028
What are the pro hac vice requirements and fee in Hawaii state courts?
Local counsel: Yes. Local counsel is attorney of record, responsible for all phases, signs all pleadings and actively participates; local counsel files petition Fee: Annual Disciplinary Board fee and annual Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection fee paid to Hawaii State Bar within 10 days of approval and each January; dollar amounts and any court fee NOT FOUND
Admission on motion
- Requirements
- NCBE: does not provide for admission on motion
- Years of practice
- Not applicable: no admission on motion
- Reciprocity states
- Not applicable: no admission on motion
- Fee
- Not applicable: no admission on motion
- Rule
- Haw. Sup. Ct. R. 1 (not opened)
- UBE score transfer
- Does not accept transferred UBE (legacy or NextGen) scores; requires MBE, MEE, MPT, MPRE (min 85); NextGen UBE planned July 2028
- UBE minimum
- Not applicable: this state does not accept transferred UBE scores
- UBE score window
- Not applicable: this state does not accept transferred UBE scores
- Other routes
- Limited admission of military attorneys; law school faculty pro tem membership; limited admission of non-profit legal services attorneys; limited admission of uniformed services spouse-attorneys
- Military spouse
- USUS spouse-attorney assigned to active duty in Hawaii may be provisionally admitted without written examination if eligibility conditions are fulfilled
3 not found in the pulled documents
- Reciprocity
- Not in the pulled documents
- MPRE
- Not in the pulled documents
- Foreign attorneys
- Not in the pulled documents
State-court pro hac vice
- Rule
- Haw. Sup. Ct. R. 1.9 (and 1.9A)
- Local counsel
- Yes. Local counsel is attorney of record, responsible for all phases, signs all pleadings and actively participates; local counsel files petition
- Limits
- Applicant discloses all PHV appearances in prior 5 years; multiple appearances may require showing 'special circumstances that warrant the approval'; no numeric cap or residency bar found
- Fee
- Annual Disciplinary Board fee and annual Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection fee paid to Hawaii State Bar within 10 days of approval and each January; dollar amounts and any court fee NOT FOUND
- Procedure
- Verified petition with declarations of local counsel and applicant (admissions, good standing, discipline, tax/business registration compliance); on approval, local counsel gives order to Hawaii State Bar and Office of Disciplinary Counsel and notifies on closure
Language from the source documents
4 quoted passages
Other routes
1.7. Limited admission of military attorneys (a) Full-time active duty officers (b) Term limitation; extensions (c) Client and compensation limitation (d) Discipline; dues 1.8. Law school faculty members; Pro tem membershipcourts.state.hi.us
Pro hac vice rule
1.9. Pro hac vice appearance of counsel for court proceedings 1.9A. Pro hac vice appearance of counsel for arbitration proceedingscourts.state.hi.us
Local counsel
may be permitted to associate with a member or members of the Hawaiʻi bar (local counsel) in the presentation of a specific case at the discretion of the presiding judge or judges.courts.state.hi.us
Military spouse
an attorney who is a spouse of such a service member assigned to active duty in the State of Hawaiʻi may be provisionally admitted as an attorney of this State, without written examination, if the following conditions are fulfilled.courts.state.hi.us