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Bar Information for Applicants with Disabilities

With this Directory, the Commission has created a tremendously needed public service. At a time when bar applicants with disabilities need the most clarity and time, the extensive and often complicated procedures for gaining access to state bar exams can be extremely confusing and time consuming. This Directory will aid them in finding the necessary information more quickly and hopefully, lead to their taking the bar exam in a truly accessible manner.

- Jo Anne Simon, Esq., higher education disability law practitioner and expert, New York, NY

In an effort to assist bar applicants with disabilities, the Commission's directory of bar information for applicants with disabilities (BIAD) provides information from state, territorial, and federal jurisdictions that grant licenses to practice law.

This directory contains information regarding:

  1. The process for seeking bar examination accommodations for each state, including links to forms, deadlines, and additional information about the bar application process, and sample cases; and
  2. Information about each state’s character and fitness inquiry, including links to forms, rules, and sample cases.  

For the state bars, click on the state listed on the map where you will be taking the bar, or on its abbreviation listed below the map. Territories are in the listing below the map.

For general information about the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act to testing and licensing agencies, click here.

 

Please note that this directory is for informational purposes only and is a reference point. To confirm final rules, procedures, or regulations, please contact the appropriate entity.

Additional Resources

AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI | ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO | MT | NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PARI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WY

Puerto Rico | Guam | Northern Mariana Islands

Mental Health Questions State-by-State Chart   

Looking for a handy chart listing the character and fitness questions addressing mental health asked by each state? We've got you covered. Click here to go to the downloadable PDF. (Current as of 2020)

ABA Policy

National Conference of Bar Examiners

The NCBE administers the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, and has a separate set of accommodation instructions and requirements.

Legal Education Section Guide

NCBE & ABA Guide to Bar Admission Requirements  “The National Conference of Bar Examiners and the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar offers a FREE comprehensive guide that sets out the rules and practices of all U.S. jurisdictions for bar admission. Includes a chart of mental health questions.

US Department of Justice and the Louisiana Supreme Court

In March 2011, the United States Department of Justice began an investigation of Louisiana’s attorney licensure system and its compliance with Title II of the ADA.  Below is a copy of the Department’s findings of this investigation, as well as the settlement agreement between the Department and the Louisiana Supreme Court