Bar Preparation

Every jurisdiction including Maryland, investigates the character and fitness to practice of applicants to the bar.  In addition to completing a detailed written application, most applicants undergo rigorous follow-ups including a personal interview or background check. 

Under the Maryland rules, every applicant for admission must complete a questionnaire under oath attesting to the applicant’s character, fitness to practice law, and education.  Applicants must authorize the release of this information to a Character Committee, the Board, and the Court.  The Character Committee is charged with investigating and evaluating an applicant’s character and fitness to practice including meeting individually with the applicant.  The Committee then recommends to the Board whether the application for admission should be approved or denied.  The applicant bears the burden of proving to the Character Committee, the Board and the Court, the applicant’s good moral character and fitness for the practice of law.

What is the Committee looking for?  In most cases, character committees look for evidence of

• Dishonesty or lack of candor
• Financial dishonesty or irresponsibility
• Past criminal conduct (especially those acts occurring during law school) or
• Current drug/alcohol abuse.

Applicants should avoid inconsistences in reporting behavior and past conduct.  For that reason, make sure the information you disclose to the law school and to the bar match up.  Talk to the Office of Student Affairs or Bar Program Office if you have any concerns.

What materials will the Maryland Carey School of Law send in for you?

The Law School receives, as part of your Character Committee’s review, a form entitled the "Certification as to Law School Education" which certifies your attendance and specifically asks whether your student record "indicates any instances which may bear negatively on the applicant’s moral character and fitness for the practice of law."

Bar Certifications, whether received from a jurisdiction's board of law examiners or from students themselves, are completed by the Office of Student Affairs in the order in which they are received. Due to the high volume of these requests, please understand that there is sometimes a 2-4 week turnaround time. While we endeavor to meet all reasonable requests, please realize that out of respect for the other petitioners, there is no such thing as "same day" or "walk in and wait" service.

Bar forms or requests for certification letters can be mailed to the attention of Amanda Barnes at 500 West Baltimore Street, Suite 280, Baltimore, MD 21201 or faxed to (410) 706-2103. Be sure to include your full name, social security number, date of graduation, return address, due date for the document and a contact phone number or email address. For any additional questions, please call (410) 706-5235.  Email submissions of bar certification documents should be sent to MDBarCert@law.umaryland.edu

The School of Law does NOT provide the following services:

Certification as to College Education (Pre-Legal) form for the Maryland Bar or any jurisdiction that requires proof of pre-legal education

Official transcripts for credit and/or degree earned at Maryland Carey law school (JD, LLM)

Applicants are required to provide the Board with an official school transcript that reflects the date you received (or will receive) your law school degree.  The Law School does NOT prepare official transcripts. That function, like diplomas, is exclusively the province of the (campus) Office of the Registrar. You can request an official transcript online. If you intend to request a transcript before you have officially graduated, you will want to mark the box under Special Instructions "Hold for Degree" because your transcript must show that your JD was ACTUALLY conferred on a specific date to meet the requirements of the Board of Bar Examiners.

Passing the bar exam is a challenge for even the most successful law student.  For that reason, the Law School invests heavily in your exam preparation even before you leave the building.  Students are exposed, right from the start, to foundational bar-tested subject matter beginning with the first-year required curriculum and continuing through elective course choices including the Bar Preparation Course. 

The Bar Preparation Course is a three-credit course dedicated to transitioning students into their post-graduation bar exam preparation, and supporting their first-time taker success in the jurisdiction of choice. It is a companion course to your more rigorous commercial bar study after graduation.

IT IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR A COMPREHENSIVE SUMMER COMMERCIAL BAR REVIEW COURSE YOU ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE POST-GRADUATION.

In terms of both structure and content, this course intentionally responds to needs specific to bar exam preparation. This course trains students to (i) master strategic areas of law commonly tested on the bar exam, and (ii) develop and/or refine test-taking skills required for success on the bar such as effectively answering MBE-styled multiple choice questions, drafting written responses to bar exam essay questions, and drafting work product for the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).

This course is credit/no credit.

Preparing for and taking the bar exam is costly.  But with proper financial planning, you can avoid financial hardship.  Graduates should aim to effectively manage your debt while transitioning into practice.

Common expenses include:

• Commercial bar review course
• Bar application fees
• MPRE registration/testing fee
• Indirect costs that help you make it through the preparation months
• Childcare
• Food
• Housing
• Transportation
• Wellness

For information about financing your bar prep, come talk to us in the Bar Program or Office of Student Affairs.

International LL.M. Students may be eligible to take the Maryland bar exam or certain other US bar exams after completing Maryland Carey Law's LL.M. program, depending on the courses taken.

Applying to sit for the Maryland bar exam as an International LL.M. Student

The Board has the discretion to waive the standard educational requirements for applicants receiving their first legal degree from a non-US law school AND who is admitted to practice in a non-US jurisdiction AND who also obtains an LLM from an ABA accredited law school (See MD Rule 19-201(b)(2) and Board Rule 7).

An applicant must certify that he/she has successfully completed a minimum of 26 credit hours from among the subjects tested on the UBE (Board Rule 7).

Deadlines for Waiver Requests:

• No later than 4:30 pm on the preceding April 20^th for the July exam.
• No later than 4:30 pm on the preceding November 20^th for the February exam.

For those taking other states’ bar exams:

What is required in other states?
Each state sets its own bar registration and admission rules. Students must investigate the rules in any state in which they plan to live and practice, especially those associated with registration deadlines and required courses. For more information about bar admission in states other than Maryland visit The National Conference of Bar Examiners web site or the American Bar Association's website on state bar admissions.

Will I need to take the MPRE?
Some states including Maryland (as of July 1, 2019) require the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) as part of their bar requirements. For more information on the MPRE, please visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners web site.

Bar Certifications:

COVID19 Protocols: While the law school is under COVID19 restrictions and adaptations for remote learning, please submit all bar certification requests/deans certfication forms/etc to MDBarCert@law.umaryland.edu.  Make sure to include all relevant information and a copy of your release of information.

The School of Law does NOT complete the Certification as to College Education (Pre-Legal) form for the Maryland Bar.

Bar Certifications are completed by the Office of Student Affairs in the order in which they are received. Due to the high volume of these requests, please understand that there is sometimes a 2-4 week turnaround time. While we endeavor to meet all reasonable requests, please realize that out of respect for the other petitioners, there is no such thing as "same day" or "walk in and wait" service. Bar forms or requests for certification letters can be mailed to the attention of Amanda Barnes at 500 West Baltimore Street, Suite 280, Baltimore, MD 21201 or faxed to (410) 706-2103. Be sure to include your full name, social security number, date of graduation, return address, due date for the document and a contact phone number or email address. For any additional questions, please call (410) 706-0578.  Email submissions of bar certification documents should be sent to MDBarCert@law.umaryland.edu

Financial Aid While Studying for the Bar:
If you have questions concerning your financial aid options as you study for the bar examination, please contact Marilyn Jones at (410) 706-0873 or mmjones@law.umaryland.edu.

* Elective Course with Priority Enrollment for 2nd Year Day or 3rd Year Evening students

Required Course - Courses not otherwise marked are electives with normal priority enrollment.