Iowa
Common questions
Can a lawyer be admitted in Iowa without taking the bar exam (admission on motion)?
Admission on motion available. 5 of last 7 yrs, min. 1,000 hrs/yr; any U.S. jurisdiction; no reciprocity requirement
Does Iowa accept a transferred Uniform Bar Exam score?
Accepted under Rule 31.4: Legacy UBE 266 or above (on/before 7/1/2026), 260 or above (after 7/1/2026); NextGen UBE 610; within 2 yrs of exam, or up to 5 yrs if regularly practiced 2 of last 3 yrs; MPRE 80; fee $900; ABA JD/LLB; no prior denial on C&F grounds; NCBE transfer within 3 months of filing; 1 yr after notice to complete requirements and take oath
What are the pro hac vice requirements and fee in Iowa state courts?
Local counsel: Yes. In-state lawyer must appear in the proceeding, actively participate, accept service, remain responsible Fee: $250 to Client Security Trust Fund (valid 5 yrs)
Admission on motion
- Requirements
- 5 of last 7 yrs, min. 1,000 hrs/yr; any U.S. jurisdiction; no reciprocity requirement
- Years of practice
- At least 5 of the last 7 years; at least 1000 hours per year
- Reciprocity
- No reciprocity condition found
- Reciprocity states
- Not applicable: no reciprocity
- Fee
- $900 nonrefundable administrative fee
- Rule
- Iowa Ct. R. 31.12 (and 31.13)
- UBE score transfer
- Accepted under Rule 31.4: Legacy UBE 266 or above (on/before 7/1/2026), 260 or above (after 7/1/2026); NextGen UBE 610; within 2 yrs of exam, or up to 5 yrs if regularly practiced 2 of last 3 yrs; MPRE 80; fee $900; ABA JD/LLB; no prior denial on C&F grounds; NCBE transfer within 3 months of filing; 1 yr after notice to complete requirements and take oath
- UBE minimum
- 266 or above (Legacy exam on/before July 1, 2026); 260 or above (Legacy exam after July 1, 2026); 610 or above (NextGen)
- UBE score window
- Within 2 years preceding transfer application; up to 5 years for attorney applicants with practice
- MPRE
- Scaled score of at least 80; no recency period stated
- Other routes
- In-House Counsel Registration, International Legal Consultants, Military Spouse and Servicemember Admission, Admission on Motion
- Foreign attorneys
- Yes, foreign legal consultants may be licensed under Rule 31.18; license superseded upon bar admission
- Military spouse
- Yes, Military Spouse and Servicemember Admission listed as admission type
State-court pro hac vice
- Rule
- Iowa Ct. R. 31.14
- Local counsel
- Yes. In-state lawyer must appear in the proceeding, actively participate, accept service, remain responsible
- Limits
- Not more than 5 proceedings in 2 years without good cause; separate application per case
- Fee
- $250 to Client Security Trust Fund (valid 5 yrs)
- Procedure
- Verified application filed with court, served on parties; discloses discipline history, prior PHV denials, contempt sanctions; names in-state lawyer with ID number; register with OPR
Language from the source documents
13 quoted passages
On motion
has regularly engaged in the practice of law for at least five of the last seven years immediately preceding the date of the application; and still holds a license.courtrules.net
On-motion rule
Rules 31.12-31.13 . Admission without examination of a lawyer licensed to practice law in another state.iowacourts.gov
UBE transfer
(1) 266 or above in the case of a Legacy UBE score from an examination administered on or before July 1, 2026, (2) 260 or above in the case of a Legacy UBE score from an examination administered after July 1, 2026, or (3) 610 or above in the case of a NextGen UBE score.courtrules.net
Other routes
Admission on Motion In-House Counsel Registration International Legal Consultants Pro Hac Vice Applications Military Spouse and Servicemember Admissioniowacourts.gov
Local counsel
A court of this state may, in its discretion, admit an eligible out-of-state lawyer, who is retained to appear as attorney of record in a particular proceeding, only if the out-of-state lawyer appears with an in-state lawyer in that proceeding.courtrules.net
phv_limits
The out-of-state lawyer has appeared pro hac vice in this state in five proceedings within the preceding two years, unless the out-of-state lawyer can show good cause exists for admission.courtrules.net
Pro hac vice fee
must first register with the office of professional regulation and pay a fee of $250 to the client security trust fund.courtrules.net
On-motion fee
The applicant must pay a nonrefundable administrative fee of $900 to the office of professional regulation at the time of filing the application.courtrules.net
Years of practice
has regularly engaged in the practice of law for at least five of the last seven years immediately preceding the date of the application; and still holds a license. For the purposes of this rule, “regularly engaged in the practice of law” means the applicant has practiced law for at least 1000 hours in that year.courtrules.net
UBE score window
Any applicant may transfer a qualifying UBE score without a showing of prior legal practice if the score was from a UBE administered within two years immediately preceding the transfer application filing date.courtrules.net
MPRE
The applicant has earned a scaled score of at least 80 on the MPRE administered by the NCBE.courtrules.net
Foreign attorneys
If a person licensed as a foreign legal consultant under this rule is subsequently admitted as a member of the bar of this state under the rules governing admission, that person’s foreign legal consultant license will be deemed supersededlegis.iowa.gov