Rule 19-215 - Eligibility of Out-of-State Attorney for Admission Without Examination(a) Generally. Beginning on July 1, 2019, an individual is eligible for admission to the Bar of this State under this Rule if the individual: (1) is a member in good standing of the Bar of a state;(2) has passed a written bar examination in a state or is admitted to a state bar by diploma privilege after graduating from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association;(3) has the professional experience required by this Rule; and(4) possesses the good moral character and fitness necessary for the practice of law.(b) Required Professional Experience. The professional experience required for admission under this Rule shall be on a full time basis as (1) a practitioner of law as provided in section (c) of this Rule; (2) a teacher of law at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; (3) a judge of a court of record in a state; or (4) a combination thereof.(c) Practitioner of Law.(1) Subject to subsections (c)(2) and (3) of this Rule, a practitioner of law is an individual who has regularly engaged in the authorized practice of law: (B) as the principal means of earning a livelihood; and(C) whose professional experience and responsibilities have been sufficient to satisfy the Board that the individual should be admitted under this Rule and Rule 19-216.(2) As evidence of the requisite professional experience, for purposes of subsection (c)(1)(C) of this Rule, the Board may consider, among other things: (A) the extent of the individual's experience in the practice of law;(B) the individual's professional duties and responsibilities, the extent of contacts with and responsibility to clients or other beneficiaries of the individual's professional skills, the extent of professional contacts with practicing attorneys and judges, and the individual's professional reputation among those attorneys and judges; and(C) any professional articles or treatises that the individual has written.(3) The Board may consider, as the equivalent of practice of law in a state, practice outside the United States if the Board concludes that the nature of the practice makes it the functional equivalent of practice within a state.(d) Duration of Professional Experience. An individual shall have the professional experience required by section (b) of this Rule for (1) a total of ten years, or (2) at least three of the five years immediately preceding the filing of a petition pursuant to Rule 19-216.(e) Exceptional Cases. In exceptional cases, the Board may treat an individual's actual experience, although not meeting the literal requirements of subsection (c)(1) of this Rule, as the equivalent of the professional experience otherwise required by this Rule. This Rule is derived from sections (a) through (e) of former Rule 13 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Maryland (2016).
Formerly Rule 19-212, adopted June 6, 2016, eff. 7/1/2016; amended April 9, 2018, eff. 7/1/2018. Renumbered Rule 19-215 Dec. 4, 2018, eff. 3/1/2019; amended March 30, 2021, eff. 7/1/2021.HISTORICAL NOTES
2018 Orders
The April 9, 2018 order, replaced the word "accredited with the word "approved in subsection (a)(1) and section (b).
The December 4, 2018 order re-numbered this rule from Rule 19-212, conformed the Rule for implementation of the Uniform Bar Exam, and deleted subsection (a)(4) requiring an attorney examination for out-of-state attorneys.