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Requirements for Graduation & Bar Admission

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4.1 Introduction

This Chapter will describe, first, the basic requirements to earn a Doctor of Laws (J.D.) degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Then it will address the requirements for Diploma Privilege in Wisconsin (the right to practice law in Wisconsin without taking the Wisconsin Bar Examination) (see 4.6 below). Finally, it will briefly discuss some procedures a UW Law graduate needs to know when applying for bar admission in a state other than Wisconsin (see 4.12, below).

4.1.1 Visit the Law School Registrar

In addition to familiarizing yourself with the contents of this chapter, the Law School Registrar is a key figure in helping you graduate “on time” and/or take advantage of the Wisconsin Diploma Privilege. Make sure you visit the Registrar in either the fourth or early in the fifth semester of your law study to ensure that you have a correct understanding of —and will be in a position to fulfill— the Diploma Privilege course requirements.

4.2 J.D. Degree Requirements

Although the vast majority of students who earn J.D. degrees from the Law School also meet the requirements for the Wisconsin Diploma Privilege, it is important to note that the actual J.D. degree requirements are not identical to the Diploma Privilege requirements. Indeed, it is possible to receive a J.D. degree and not meet the Diploma Privilege requirements. In reading the following information about J.D. degree requirements, do not make the mistake of thinking these are the Diploma Privilege requirements (which are themselves discussed at 4.6 ff below). Note: a Required Course Worksheet, useful for keeping track of both your J.D. degree and Diploma Privilege requirements, appears at the end of this Chapter.

To graduate with a J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, one must satisfy four sets of requirements:

  1. One must meet the residency & course of study requirements. See 4.3 below.
  2. One must meet the credit/hour & subject requirement. See 4.4 below
  3. One must achieve and maintain a requisite grade-point average. See 4.5 below.
  4. One must complete the work within 6 years of matriculation. Extensions of time, in exceptional cases, can be granted by the Retentions Committee; military service typically does not count against this time period. For more information on this time constraint, see Law School Rule 7.06.

In addition to the information provided below, the Law School Registrar is a key figure in helping you understand the J.D. degree requirements. Make sure you visit the Registrar in either the fourth or early in the fifth semester of your law study to ensure that you have a correct understanding of — and will be in a position to fulfill— the J.D. degree requirements.

4.3 J.D. Degree: Residency & Course of Study Requirements

You are not allowed to go to law school "too fast." Accreditation rules, intended to assure that the quality of law school training not be impaired by students carrying overloads and unduly accelerating their graduations, require law schools to, in effect, set speed limits on the pace of law study. The Law School is required to apply American Bar Association guidelines regarding residency, including the requirement that every student complete “a course of study in residence of not fewer than 58,000 minutes of instruction time.” ABA requirements for a Program of Legal Education are found on the web at http://www.abanet.org/legaled/standards/standards.html (Chapter 3 of the Standards for Approval for Law Schools); the residency and course of study requirements are addressed in Standard 304.

4.3.1 What are the Requirements?

Please note that the Law School Rules are currently out-of-date regarding the ABA residence and course of study requirements. Since the Law School Rules were last revised, the ABA has altered significantly the applicable rules. What are residence and course of study requirements and why is the ABA concerned about them? The ABA requirements are set in order to prevent law students from securing a J.D. degree in an injudiciously short period of time. That is, the ABA doesn’t want students to rush through law schools “too fast” and thus requires them to attend for minimum periods of instruction in order to graduate. The requirements are written so that, even if one takes abnormally heavy credit loads (and the ABA has recently limited the possibility of even doing so), one cannot significantly shorten the time one spends “in residence” at the Law School.

Time Limitations: Students may complete their degree requirements “no earlier than 24 months” after commencing law studies (ABA Standard 304(c)). This typically means, for example, were a student to start at the Law School in September 2009, the earliest the student could normally expect to complete all degree requirements and graduate is December 2011 –that is, after five regular semesters of full-time study. Note, however, that in this instance some summer session work would almost certainly be necessary: because the First-year Program is limited to 30 credits, and in each subsequent term one is limited to a maximum of 18 credits (see below), one would still need 6 credits of summer session work to reach the 90 credits required. Additional Note: it may be technically possible for a full-time student starting in September to complete degree requirements by August two years later (i.e., precisely 24 months later --and no earlier); this would entail taking, after the first year, approximately 18 credits in each of the 2L semesters, plus approximately 22 summer credits over two summers. Be advised, however: (1) that sufficient variation in summer course offerings in subsequent summers is not guaranteed; (2) completing J. D. degree work in 24 months is difficult and not necessarily advisable for most students.

Credit Limitations: New credit enrollment limitations apply to students who commenced law studies in September 2004 and thereafter. Such students are not permitted to be enrolled in more than 18 credits per term. (See ABA Standard 304(e), which forbids enrollment, at any time, in more than 20 percent of the total coursework required for graduation. As the Law School requires 90 credits for the JD degree, the applicable enrollment restriction is 18 credits.) Credits associated with enrichment classes or other classes upon which JD degree credit will not be based, do not count toward the 18 credit limitation.

Employment: ABA Standard 304(f) for the Approval of Law Schools, to which the Law School is subject, states: A student may not be employed for more than 20 hours per week in any week in which the student is enrolled in more than 12 class hours.

4.4 J.D. Degree: Credit/Hour & Subject Requirements

4.4.1 Credit/Hour Requirement (the 90-Credit Rule):

To graduate, law students must satisfactorily complete 90 credits (or “hours”) of courses, all of which must qualify for credit from the University of Wisconsin Law School, whether the courses are taken at the Law School or elsewhere. This is sometimes referred to as the 90-Credit Rule. (To “satisfactorily complete” refers to required grades, discussed at 4.5 below.)

Important Note: any student who completes 90 or more credits and has fulfilled all other J.D. degree course requirements (i.e., the First-Year Program, the Legal Process Requirement, and Professional Responsibility Requirement), must graduate – regardless of whether the student has yet to complete any requirements necessary for Diploma Privilege.

Please note that a Worksheet, useful for keeping track of both your J.D. degree and Diploma Privilege requirements, appears at the end of this Chapter.

4.4.2 Subject Requirements:

Within the 90 “hours” (or credits), students must complete the following Graduation Requirement courses:

1. The First-Year Program (which consists of Contracts I, Torts I, Civil Procedure I, Introduction to Substantive Criminal Law, Legal Research & Writing I, Property, Legal Research and Writing II, Introduction to Criminal Procedure, and an elective of one of the following: Contracts II; Civil Procedure II; Legal Process; Constitutional Law I). (Law School Rule 3.01)

2. The Professional Responsibilities Requirement (which is met by the following courses: Professional Responsibilities, Legal Profession, and Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice). (Law School Rule 3.12)

3. The Legal Process Requirement (which is met by the Legal Process course as well as a host of other courses that evaluate a particular “legal system as a whole.” (Law School Rule 3.03) In addition to the Legal Process, courses that satisfy the Legal Process Requirement currently include: Administrative Law; Modern American Legal History; Wisconsin Legal History; Legislation; Sociology of Law; Federal Law & Indian Tribes; Advanced Indian Law; Latin American Legal Institutions; Chinese Law; Community Economic Development Law; International Law; International Trade Law; International Business Transactions; Jurisprudence; Women’s Legal History; Lincoln & the Law; Law, Theology, and the State; Public Law and Private Power; Reparations in Theory and Practice; Law and Economics; Selected Problems in Poverty Law; Comparative Law; Patterns in America Jurisprudence; Comparative Family Law. All courses meeting this requirement will be so designated on the on-line Course Schedule.

4. Upper-Level Writing Requirement. Per Law School Rule 3.11.1, J.D. candidates commencing law studies in Fall 2005 and thereafter have an “Upper-level Writing Requirement” and are required to complete one rigorous writing experience subsequent to the completion of the First-Year Program. Curricular activities meeting this requirement will be designated by the Dean and are denoted in the Notes column of the on-line course schedule with “LW.” Students, however, urged to check with the course instructor to ensure that they will indeed be able to fulfill the Upper-level Writing Requirement in the course

5. Skills Requirement. Per Law School Rule 3.07, students who decide not to pursue Diploma Privilege qualification and who additionally do not plan to take Evidence must contact Assistant Dean Kelly about ensuring they take some appropriate skills course in order to meet ABA requirements for the JD degree.

Please note that a Worksheet, useful for keeping track of both your J.D. degree and Diploma Privilege requirements, appears at the end of this Chapter.

4.5 J.D. Degree: Grade Point Average Requirement

To graduate, a student must have completed courses totaling not fewer than 90 credits, including all the courses required for graduation, with a weighted final average of not less than 2.0 on the Law School’s 4.3 scale. (Law School Rule 9.01). Basically, the weighted final average is based on all the courses for which a student has received Law School letter grades (as opposed to letter grades earned in non-Law courses and for which letter grades on the University’s 4.0 scale are reported; such non-4.0 scale letter grades do not factor into a Law student’s GPA).

Thus, the critical average to maintain is a weighted average 2.0 or better (on the Law School’s 4.3 scale). Students frequently ask whether they must have a C (the equivalent to 2.0) in every class. The short answer is no. A second frequently asked question is whether students must retake any class in which they receive a grade below C. The short answer to this question is also no. But students must have a 2.0 or better overall --and complete 90 credits-- (including all Graduation Requirements) in order to receive the J. D. degree.

4.6 Wisconsin Diploma Privilege Requirements

Years ago, many states had a "diploma privilege," a set of course and grade requirements which, if fulfilled, allowed one to be admitted to practice without taking a bar exam. Wisconsin is now alone in retaining this privilege, by rule of the Wisconsin Supreme Court: http://www.wicourts.gov/supreme/sc_rules.jsp (see Chapter 40). To qualify for the Wisconsin Diploma Privilege, one must satisfy two sets of requirements:

(1) One must meet certain academic requirements. See 4.6.1 - 4.6.5 below.(2) One must meet requirements relating to character and fitness to practice law. See 4.7 below.

4.6.1 Academic Requirements

As stated above, the vast majority of students who earn J.D. degrees from the Law School also meet the requirements for Wisconsin Diploma Privilege. In addition to the information provided herein, the Law School Registrar is a key figure in helping you take advantage of the Diploma Privilege. Make sure you visit the Registrar in either the fourth or early in the fifth semester of your law study to ensure that you have a correct understanding of —and will be in a position to fulfill— the Diploma Privilege course requirements. In addition, a Worksheet, useful for keeping track of both your J.D. degree and Diploma Privilege requirements, appears at the end of this Chapter.

4.6.2 Degree and Course Requirements

In order to be certified for admission to the Wisconsin Bar under the Diploma Privilege, a graduate must satisfy three requirements:

  1. The graduate must be awarded a J.D. degree from the Law School. See 4.2 above. (See also Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 40.03).

  2. The graduate must have satisfactorily completed courses in the Mandatory Subject Matter areas. (SCR 40.03(2)(b)) (To “satisfactorily complete” refers to required grades, discussed below at 4.6.5.) The Mandatory Subject Matter Areas are: Constitutional Law (divided into separate Constitutional Law I and Constitutional Law II requirements); Contracts (satisfied by Contracts I); Criminal Law and Procedure (divided into separate Introduction to Substantive Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure requirements); Evidence; Jurisdiction of Courts (satisfied by Civil Procedure II, Federal Jurisdiction, or Conflicts of Laws); Ethics & Legal Responsibilities of the Legal Profession (satisfied by Professional Responsibilities or Legal Profession or Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice); Pleading & Practice (satisfied by Civil Procedure I); Real Property (satisfied by Property); Torts (satisfied by Torts I), and Wills & Estates (satisfied by Trusts & Estates) (Note: the above rule is sometimes referred to as the 10-Subject/30-Credit Rule, although the required courses will add up to far more than 30 credits and, with the Constitutional Law and Criminal Law & Procedure requirements each divided, there are in reality twelve separate mandatory subjects, not ten.)

  3. The graduate must have satisfactorily completed not fewer than 60 credits in the Elective Subject Matter areas. (SCR 40.03(2)(a)) (To “satisfactorily complete” refers to required grades, discussed below at 4.6.5.) This is most often referred to as the 60-Credit Rule. Each semester, a list of the courses satisfying the 60-Credit Rule is available to students. For an updated list of 60-Credit Rule courses, go to http://www.law.wisc.edu/academics/courses/ and click on “60-Credit Rule Courses.”

4.6.3 Overlap of the 60-Credit Rule with other requirements:

All of the Mandatory Subject Area courses referenced above will count toward the 60-Credit Rule. A student who takes all of the Mandatory Subject Area courses (including the many found in the First-Year Program) will already have 46 or more credits toward meeting the 60-Credit Rule. Thus, the student need merely take some 14 or so additional credits of 60-Credit Rule courses to meet the requirement.

4.6.4 60-Credit Rule and Clinicals, Trial Ad, Lawyering Skills, PR

In a student’s law school career, a cumulative maximum of only five clinical credits (to include internships and externships) will count toward the 60-Credit Rule for Diploma Privilege (but all such credits will count toward the 90-Credit Rule required for graduation (see 4.4.1 above). In the General Practice Course/Lawyering Skills Course, five of the eight credits will apply to the 60-Credit Rule, but all will count toward the 90-Credit Rule. For Professional Responsibility, one credit will apply to the 60-Credit Rule, but all will count toward the 90-Credit Rule. For Trial Advocacy, a maximum of four credits will apply to the 60-Credit Rule for Diploma Privilege, but all will count toward the 90-Credit Rule for graduation.

4.6.5 Required Grades for Diploma Privilege

As stated earlier, students must “satisfactorily complete” both the Mandatory Subject Matter courses and 60-Credit Rule courses for Diploma Privilege eligibility (SCR 40.03(2)). By Law School Rule, this is interpreted as both earning a weighted (or “cumulative”) average of at least 2.0 in the Mandatory Subject Matter courses (Law School Rule 3.04(1)(b)) and earning a weighted average of at least a 2.0 in the 60-Credit Rule area (Law School Rule 3.04(1)(c)). Note that this does not mean that a C (the letter equivalent of 2.0 on the 4.3 scale) is required in each course; rather, the weighted average must be 2.0 in each of these two categories of courses.

Thus, failure to achieve a weighted average of 2.0 better on the Law School’s 4.3 scale in the Mandatory Subject Matter courses will prevent the student from receiving the Diploma Privilege upon graduation. This often means that a student who has not maintained a 2.0 average in the first-year courses will not be eligible for the Diploma Privilege. Thus, a student who achieves a better than 2.0 GPA for the 60-Credit Rule courses overall, but did not achieve a 2.0 or better for the Mandatory Subject Matter courses required for Diploma Privilege must take the state bar examination to qualify to practice in Wisconsin after graduation. Similarly, students must also have a 2.0 average or better for all 60-Credit Rule courses overall.

(Note: grades earned in any semester following the semester in which the 90th credit is completed are not counted for Diploma Privilege eligibility purposes).

4.7 Diploma Privilege: Character & Fitness Certification

4.7.1 Introduction

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules state “[a]n applicant for bar admission shall establish good moral character and fitness to practice law.” Such an applicant must establish, to the satisfaction of the Board of Bar Examiners (BBE), that the applicant possesses the requisite character and fitness. (See SCR 40.06) Note that the burden is on the applicant to establish all necessary qualifications (SCR 40.07) and that the BBE “shall decline to certify the character and fitness of an applicant who knowingly makes a materially false statement of a material fact or who fails to disclose a fact necessary to correct a misapprehension known by the applicant to have arisen in connection with his or her application.” (SCR 40.06(3))

4.7.2 Securing an Application.

In October each year, applications for a Diploma Privilege Character and Fitness Certification with the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners (BBE) are placed in all 3L hang-files. The Character and Fitness Certification is a preliminary step to the Diploma Privilege. If you anticipate that you might graduate early (i.e., in December), you should visit the Law School Registrar’s Office late in the Spring Term before to secure a copy of the Character and Fitness Certification application so you can start working on it early.

4.7.3 Immediately Review the Application.

You are strongly urged to review the Character and Fitness Certification application at your earliest possible convenience. The first reason for this is so that you can acquaint yourself with the nature of the information being sought (much of which may oblige you to consult personal records, documents, papers, or contact third parties for required information). The second reason is to identify any questions you might have about the application and how you should proceed in light of these questions. BBE staff members typically visit the Law School once or twice each autumn in order to answer law students’ questions. You are urged to take advantage of these visits by the BBE staff, who are also available by phone to answer questions about the application. DO NOT DELAY in beginning to assemble the information you will need to complete the application.


Here are some web-sites that may prove of use in the assembling of required information:

4.7.4 Application Fees

When you examine your Application, note that there are varying fees, depending on one's graduation month and when one files the application. For May graduates who plan on taking advantage of the Diploma Privilege, you will typically save yourself $100 if you file your application by a given date in mid-December. December graduates can save on the application fee if submission is made by a given date in mid-July. August graduates can save on the fee if submission is made by a given date in mid-March.

4.7.5 Application Deadlines

Please read the following paragraphs carefully. Although the formal deadline to file your Character and Fitness Certification application is based on when your degree is conferred (and degree conferral occurs at approximately the same time as graduation), if you wish to participate in the large-group swearing-in ceremony, your application must be filed at least three months prior to the date of the swearing-in ceremony. This may seem early to you, but the Board of Bar Examiners requires a significant amount of time to complete the character and fitness examinations for a great many applicants for admission. (If you will not be available for the large-group swearing-in ceremony, the BBE will send you the appropriate bar admission certification documents; you are then expected to make your own arrangements regarding a private swearing-in.)

As stated above, applications may be submitted up to thirty days following the actual conferral of the degree. Thus, for May graduates, the formal application deadline is July 1st; for December graduates, the deadline is February 1st; for August graduates, the deadline is October 1st. Of course, if you wait as long as the applicable deadline to file your application, you will still have to wait some months while your application is processed.

Importantly, if you miss this vital deadline altogether, you will have forfeited the opportunity to apply for Diploma Privilege and will have to sit for the Wisconsin Bar Examination. (Note: Students who study abroad or visit at another law school in their last term will find, even if forwarding of the resulting transcript to UW is delayed, that the UW Law School will “back-date” the conferral of their degree to the end of the term in question. However, if you have not yet submitted a Diploma Privilege application, the application deadline (thirty days following degree conferral) may have already passed. Early application is thus encouraged.)

According to the Board of Bar Examiners (BBE), filing is completed on the date a properly executed application and applicable fees are received at the BBE office. The BBE does not recognize postmark dates.

Finally, once an application is timely filed, an applicant does have up to one year to complete the application process before losing the Diploma Privilege opportunity altogether.

4.8 Diploma Privilege: State Bar of Wisconsin & the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Wisconsin, like a number of other states, is an “integrated bar.” This means that to hold a Wisconsin license to practice law, you must belong to the State Bar of Wisconsin. Graduates of the Law School are generally admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin by being sworn-in before the Supreme Court of the State of Wisconsin, usually at a large-group swearing-in approximately one month after graduation.

The Board of Bar Examiners (BBE) to which you will make your application for admission to the bar pursuant to the Diploma Privilege, will communicate with you about the details of your swearing-in before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. For May graduates, the large-group swearing-in is typically held in early- to mid-June. For December graduates, the large-group swearing-in is typically held in late January (this is typically a combined session with Marquette University Law School graduates). For August graduates, the BBE typically makes arrangements for individual swearing-ins in approximately late September. The BBE will not confirm you for swearing-in before the Wisconsin Supreme Court until your application has been finalized and the relevant character and fitness certification completed.

4.9 Diploma Privilege: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

Information on admission to the Federal District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin is provided to graduating students approximately four to six weeks before the end of the final semester. A large-group swearing-in ceremony before the Western District is scheduled on the same day as Wisconsin Supreme Court admission. Once you have been admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin by virtue of being sworn-in before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, you can be admitted to the Western District —either in person (usually on the same day you are admitted before the Wisconsin Supreme Court), or later by mail.

While the process is made easy for you, you must nevertheless complete the application form, take the oath, and pay the fee before you can legally practice before this court. If you are interested in being admitted before the Western District, but will not be available for the large-group swearing-in ceremony, details on arranging for your own admission are available at: www.wiwd.uscourts.gov/attyadmin/index.html

For information about admission before the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, see 4.10 below.

A brief note about other federal courts: All federal courts have their own rules for admission. Most are easily met and can be done by mail, but most also require that your admission be moved by someone who is already a member of that court. Contact the clerk of the federal court where you are interested in practicing to obtain rules and applications.

Admission to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court requires that you practice three years before applying; the Web site is: www.supremecourtus.gov/bar/baradmissions.html

4.10 Diploma Privilege: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

Some graduates may desire to be admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in Milwaukee instead of —or in addition to— the Western District Court in Madison. As is the case with the Western District, before you can be admitted to practice in the Eastern District, you must first be admitted before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Applications and information regarding admission before the Eastern District are available on-line at http://www.wied.uscourts.gov/index.php. You should submit the required materials directly to the court in Milwaukee, either by mail or in person. You must have an attorney already admitted to practice before the Eastern District complete the required Affidavit in support of your admission. If you have any questions regarding admission before the Eastern District, please direct them to the court clerk's office at (414) 297-3372.

4.11 Diploma Privilege: Other Swearing-In Options

If you wish to be sworn-in to practice as a Wisconsin attorney but must leave the state permanently before the large-group swearing-in date for UW Law graduates (for May graduates, this date is in early- to mid-June), you can still be sworn-in to the Wisconsin Bar. There are two avenues for this, neither of which is easy —so if at all possible, it's best to get sworn-in at the large-group ceremony.

4.11.1 Out-of-State Swearing-In.

The procedure for an out-of-state swearing-in to the Wisconsin Bar is somewhat involved. A brief explanation follows and further information is available from Ms. Jackie Kolitz, Assistant Deputy Clerk, Supreme Court/Court of Appeals Clerk's Office, (608) 261-4311.

Supreme Court Rule 40.02(4) provides that the oath may be administered by any person authorized by that jurisdiction to administer the attorney’s oath for bar admission. If you wish to have such a person administer the oath, you must provide a copy of the rule from that jurisdiction which provides authority for that person to administer an attorney’s oath, along with a letter including the proposed date and time as well as name and address of individual administering oath. This should be submitted at least 10 days in advance of the scheduled date.

Along with the letter and the copy of the rule, you need to send the original Memorandum-Certificate (Board Certification) issued by the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners, the completed Certificate Mailing Address Form (both of these items will be sent by the BBE) and a check payable to "Board of Bar Examiners" for $100. The above items must be mailed to Ms. Kolitz at the Supreme Court Clerk's Office, P.O. Box 1688, Madison WI 53701-1688 (phone first to verify mailing address).

Upon receipt of the above items (letter, jurisdiction rule, memo/certificate, mailing form and check), Ms. Kolitz will send acknowledgment directly to the individual who will administer the oath along with required paperwork.

One variation of this: if you wish to be sworn in by another state's Supreme Court Justice (or member of the highest court in another jurisdiction) or a judge in the U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Appeals or U.S. Supreme Court, you need not send the copy of the jurisdiction's rule on oaths mentioned above. You will need to schedule a date and time to be sworn in with Justice/judge. Ms. Kolitz will need to receive written notice (letter including date and time as well as name and address of individual administering oath) at least 10 days in advance of the scheduled date. Along with the letter you need to send the documents (certificate/form/check) already mentioned above.

4.11.2 Early Admission.

The decision to seek Early Admission must not be approached lightly. Early Admission is granted in rare instances when the law graduate can demonstrate that extraordinary and compelling circumstances, such as medical exigency or military obligation, warrant this special consideration.

The first step is to submit to the Dean of the Law School (via the Law School Registrar) a written Petition outlining in detail the basis for the need. The Petition should be submitted no later than the last day of classes (this is a firm deadline: no exceptions). Of course, one's application with the BBE must also be complete. (Additionally, the student MUST mark all exam blue books and final papers with the notice that, in addition to being a graduating 3L, the student is also seeking Early Bar Admission.)

If the Petition is approved, the Dean of the Law School will write a letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, via the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office, requesting permission for the graduate to be sworn-in early. The letter should include the reason and a statement that all requirements for admission have been met. That letter will be forwarded to the Chief Justice for approval.

If approved by the Chief Justice, the BBE may issue your certification as soon as possible thereafter. Once certified by the BBE (applicants should contact BBE with any questions regarding the timing of the certification itself), the graduate may schedule an appointment to be sworn in either privately or in a monthly group admission. After certification, contact Jackie Kolitz, Assistant Deputy Clerk, Supreme Court/Court of Appeals at (608) 261-4311 for more information on scheduling an appointment to be sworn-in.

4.12 Bar Admission in States Other Than Wisconsin

4.12.1 Introduction

Generally, students who intend to practice outside of Wisconsin will need to take a bar exam in the state where they intend to practice and apply for admission to the bar of that state. As stated above with respect to Wisconsin, no matter where you choose to be admitted to the bar, you must fill out the appropriate forms, get records certified and forwarded to courts, and you MUST observe deadlines. Admission to the bar requires you to pay attention to details. Remember that there are fees involved, so plan ahead for these fees and for a bar review course if applicable.

4.12.2 Early Registration, States other than Wisconsin

There are some states that require registration as a law student in order to expedite sitting for the bar examination in that jurisdiction. If you definitely plan to practice in some other state, you are urged to check with the licensing authority in that state to see if you can reduce the costs associated with admission in that state by registering as a law student.

4.12.3 Timeliness

As with the Wisconsin Bar, if you plan to seek bar admission in another state, you must file forms for that state in a timely manner. You may request the appropriate bar admission packet by writing or calling that bar, or going to their Web site. Although the Career Services Office has a small supply of forms for a few states (such as Illinois, Minnesota, and New York), the Office does have pamphlets giving the addresses of all state bar organizations. This information is also readily available on the Internet.

4.12.4 UW Law Certification

The state bar to which you are applying will probably require, as part of the application process or as a pre-requisite to sit for the bar exam, some manner of certification from the UW Law School that you have indeed received your J.D. degree. You should carefully research what is required by the state to which you are applying.

Some states will provide, as part of their bar application materials, forms or certificates which the Law School must complete and forward on to the relevant bar admission authority. Some states do not provide such forms or certificates, but do require a letter from the Law School; usually the letter must contain particular information.

Forms or Certificates. Please note that the Law School DOES NOT HAVE the bar forms or certificates from all the states in the Union. You must provide the relevant form or certificate to the Law School; you should give it to the Law School Registrar, who will complete it and then forward it as appropriate. Usually what is being sought is a certification of the J.D. degree; therefore, the Law School does not complete the form/certificate until all grades (temporary or final) are received. You need to provide the Law School Registrar with the required materials long enough in advance to allow for their completion. Remember, lots of people are graduating at the same time, and auditing the student records takes a significant amount of time.

Letters. If your state requires a letter, you should drop off a written request with the Law School Registrar so stating. Your written request must indicate precisely what information should be in the letter and where the letter should be sent. The Law School Registrar will produce the letter on behalf of the Law School and forward as appropriate.

Transcripts. If the bar to which you are applying requires a transcript, you must submit a request to the University Transcript Office. The Law School is unable to obtain either official or unofficial transcripts on your behalf. Order your transcript at http://www.registrar.wisc.edu.

On the next page is a J.D. Degree Course & Credit Worksheet and a Diploma Privilege Course & Credit Worksheet. You can use these to keep track of both your J.D. Degree Requirements and your Diploma Privilege Requirements.

4.13 RTF Checklist

RTF Checklist Revised 2009