Rule 15-203 - ApplicationA.Form of application. All applications shall: (1) be made under oath or affirmation; (2) be on forms or in a method as may be required by the board; (3) include the applicant's full name, any aliases or other names used, age, current residence, residential addresses for at least the five (5) years immediately preceding the date of application, citizenship, occupations, general and legal background, information as to the applicant's background and moral character, and other information as may be required by the board; and (4) contain any information relating to the applicant's qualifications and eligibility as may be required by the board. B.Additional documentation. Unless otherwise specified for the chosen method of licensure, after submitting an application, an applicant shall cause to be submitted to the board the following within the prescribed time period: (1)Credit report. A full credit report issued by one (1) of the three (3) major credit reporting agencies and printed within thirty (30) days of submission of the application for admission.C.Separate documentation. Unless otherwise specified for the chosen method of licensure, an applicant shall promptly arrange for the following to be submitted to the board directly from the appropriate issuing person or body: (1)Transcript. A properly authenticated law school transcript evidencing graduation with a juris doctor or bachelor of laws and letters degree from a law school; (2)Law school certification form. A grant of permission, in a form prescribed by the board, permitting the board to obtain specified information from the applicant's law school; (3)Fingerprints. Fingerprints pursuant to a method or service prescribed by the board, for the purposes of obtaining the applicant's identification record from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Mexico Department of Public Safety; and (4)Character and fitness statements. Character and fitness statements from three (3) actively licensed attorneys certifying that the applicant is a person of good moral character and physically and mentally qualified for admission. The statements must be from persons who are in good standing in any state, familiar with the applicant's qualifications, and not related to the applicant. D.Documentation if admitted to another bar. Unless otherwise specified for the chosen method of licensure, for each state in which an applicant is, or has previously been admitted to practice law, the applicant shall also arrange for the following to be submitted directly to the board: (1)Good standing certificate. One (1) or more certificates by the state's law license issuing authority to the effect that the applicant: (a) is in good standing to practice law and has not been disbarred, been placed under suspension, or withdrawn or resigned from the practice of law while under disciplinary investigation; (b) is not the subject of any pending disciplinary investigations or proceedings; and (c) if the applicant has been suspended or disbarred, that the applicant has been duly reinstated; (2)Disciplinary history. A document showing the applicant's disciplinary history from that state's issuing authority, describing all of the applicant's history of discipline that is disclosable based on that state's rules and policies; (3)Unaccredited law school applicants. If the applicant is not a graduate of a law school accredited by the ABA at the time of the applicant's graduation: (a) The character and fitness statements referenced above must be from members of the bar of each state in which applicant is admitted; and (b) Each of the good standing certificate(s) referenced above must also state that the applicant has been licensed to practice law in that state for at least four (4) years before the date of the certificate. E.Course on New Mexico law. All applicants must submit to the board, prior to being issued a license, evidence of attendance at, and successful completion of, a course approved by the board or Supreme Court, which shall include Indian law, New Mexico community property law, and professionalism. F.Filing deadlines. The filing deadlines, if any, for an application and required documentation, are as described in the rule for each method of licensure. For any application-related deadline specified in these rules, a filing shall be considered timely if the document is submitted in the manner specified by the board before 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time on the day of the deadline. The board shall not accept an application filed after the specified deadlines.G.Updating required. Throughout the pendency of an application, including any character and fitness review, and any period during which a matter is on appeal to the Supreme Court, an applicant shall continually update the board with respect to all matters inquired of in the application or by the board. H.Repeat applications. The number of repeat applications for any method of licensure that an applicant may make, or the number of examinations that an applicant may take, is unlimited. Thus, if an applicant is denied admission, withdraws an application, or after submitting an application does not receive a license for any other reason, the applicant may again submit an application according to Rule 15-201(D) NMRA. Any resubmitted application shall be accompanied by payment of all prescribed fees for the selected method of licensure. I.Withdrawal of application. An applicant may, at any time before admission or denial of admission, withdraw an application by giving notice to the board. The board may deem an applicant's application withdrawn if the applicant has failed to submit all documents requested by the board by twelve (12) months after the submission date of the application, although an applicant may request a six (6) month extension of time to submit documents requested by the board by submitting a written request before the expiration of the twelve (12) month period. An applicant whose application has been withdrawn may file a new application following the procedure described in Rule 15-201(D) NMRA. Fees and costs paid on a withdrawn application shall be forfeited and not returned except as described in Rule 15-204 NMRA.J.Document retention and destruction. No original papers submitted by an applicant will be returned. The board may destroy documents in compliance with records retention requirements set forth in 1.21.2.667-668 NMAC. K.No deferrals. An application may not be deferred.As amended, effective 11/14/1988;7/24/1996;2/28/2002; as amended by Supreme Court Order No. 07-8300-004, effective 3/1/2007; as amended by Supreme Court Order No. 14-8300-021, effective for the February 2015 bar examination and subsequent bar examinations; as amended by Supreme Court Order No. 15-8300-018, effective 11/1/2015; as amended by Supreme Court Order No. S-1-RCR-2023-00036, effective 12/31/2023. ANNOTATIONS The 2015 amendment, approved by Supreme Court Order No. 15-8300-018, effective November 1, 2015, completely rewrote the rule to provide that the New Mexico bar examination shall be the Uniform Bar Examination prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners; deleted Paragraphs A, B and C and added the new undesignated paragraph. The 2014 amendment, approved by Supreme Court Order No. 14-8300-021, effective for the February 2015 bar examination and subsequent bar examinations, added civil procedure as a testable subject; and in Paragraph B (1), at the beginning of the sentence, after "The", changed "six (6)" to "seven (7)" and after "multistate subjects", added "civil procedure". The 2007 amendment, approved by Supreme Court Order No. 07-8300-010, effective March 1, 2007, delete Paragraph B and insert a new Paragraph B. For provisions of the pre-2007 version of Rule 15-203 NMRA, see the 2005 NMSA 1978 on New Mexico One Source of Law. The 2002 amendment, effective February 28, 2002, inserted "and federal personal income tax; and" in Paragraph B(4) and added Paragraph B(5). The 1996 amendment, effective July 24, 1996, added Paragraph C. The 1988 amendment, effective November 14, 1988, inserted "estates and trusts" in Paragraph B(4).