THE JOHN MARSHALL LAW SCHOOL CAREER SERVICES JOB SEARCH GUIDE
IX. BAR EXAM PREPARATION
THE ILLINOIS BAR EXAM The State of Illinois has a two-step application process for the bar exam available to first year law students who intend to practice law in Illinois following graduation. By filing the first year of school, students can save a large amount of money. All applicants to the Illinois Bar Exam are required to file a Character and Fitness Questionnaire. Fees for filing this questionnaire are substantially reduced when it is timely submitted during the applicant’s first year of law school as part of the Law School Registration Application (LSR Application – Packet #1). The LSR application is prior to and separate from the Application to Take the Illinois Bar Exam (Exam Application – Packet #2). For more information and to verify no changes to the information below, visit www.ibaby.org. Packet #1: First year law students entering in the fall have until March 1 to complete Packet #1 and pay $100. First-year law students beginning in January have until July 1 of their first year to complete the Packet #1 and pay $100. If Packet #1 is not completed by the deadlines above in the first year, an applicant should not submit the packet unless they have matters of character and fitness concern. Instead, the applicant should just submit packet #2 and pay the higher fee. Packet #2: This packet must be completed during a student’s final year of law school. If you are graduating in January and plan to sit for the February exam, the timely filing deadline to submit Packet #2 is September 1, but materials may be submitted as early as August 1. If you are graduating in May and plan to sit for the July exam, the timely filing deadline to submit Packet #2 is February 1, but materials may be submitted as early as January 1. Although the above dates reflect the preferred deadlines, students may turn in materials late and pay higher fees. Please check www.ibaby.org for more information.
Fee Schedules (all payments must be made by certified check, cashier’s check, or money order to the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar) Packet #1 – LSR Application Fees If you are a first year student filing before March 1 (entered school in the fall) or July 1 (entered school in January), the fee is: $100 made If you are a law student but did not complete Packet #1 within the first year filing deadline, the fee is: $450 Packet #2 – Exam Application Fees If you previously filed a Registration Application (Packet #1), the fee is: $250 If you did not previously filed a LSR Application (Packet #1), the fee is: $700 Late Fees: If you miss the Exam Application filing deadline, there are late filing dates available to students but the fee amounts are higher. Check the website (www.ibaby.org) for more information. For information on taking the bar exam in other states, please contact the CSO MULTISTATE PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY EXAM The Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) is a 60-question, two-hour, multiple-choice examination required for the admission to the bar in all states except Maryland, Washington, and Wisconsin. The exam is administered three times per year and tests your knowledge and understanding of the ethical standards expected in the legal profession. You can take the MPRE in any state and have your test scores transferred to another state at a later date; thus, you do not need to know the state in which you will be sitting for the bar at the time you take the MPRE. Please note that if you would like to have your score applied in Illinois you may not sit for the exam until you have completed two-thirds of the required credits for graduation. Recent graduates tell us that the best time to take the MPRE is during the summer before your third year. However, the test is usually
JOB SEARCH GUIDE 2006 – 2007
THE JOHN MARSHALL LAW SCHOOL CAREER SERVICES JOB SEARCH GUIDE
offered in March and November, as well as in August. Professional Responsibility class does not need to be taken to sit for this test. Registration materials are available online at www.ncbex.org/tests. Most students take the half-day Bar/Bri review course for approximately $75. For more information, call Bar/Bri at 800.777.EXAM (3926), or visit their website at www.barbri.com
JOB SEARCH GUIDE 2006 – 2007