Rule 13 - Educational Requirements for Admission by ExaminationSection 1.Educational Qualifications. Each applicant for admission to the Indiana bar by written examination must establish to the satisfaction of the State Board of Law Examiners that the applicant: (a) Has obtained a JD degree (or its equivalent) from a law school located in the United States that at the time of the applicant's graduation was on the approved list of the Council of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar of the American Bar Association. (The Indiana Supreme Court reserves the right to disapprove any school regardless of ABA approval.);(b) Has satisfactorily completed the law course required for graduation and furnishes to the Board a certificate from the dean of the law school (or the dean's designee) that the applicant will receive a JD degree (or its equivalent) as a matter of course at a future date, pursuant to Rule 15; and(c) Has completed two cumulative semester hours of legal ethics or professional responsibility in law school.Section 2.Early Examination Rule. An applicant, who has fewer than five hours to complete and is within one-hundred days of graduating from an ABA-approved law school, has satisfactorily passed work in the subject matter as set forth in Section 1, and has otherwise completed all requirements for admission to the bar, may take the examination but may not be admitted to the Indiana bar until the applicant has met all other requirements for admission and has graduated from an ABA-approved law school.Section 3.Certification of Educational Qualifications. The law school dean (or the dean's designee) shall certify an applicant's completion of the subject-matter requirements under this rule and must file such certification with the Board at least twenty days before the examination.Section 4.Waiver of Educational Qualification. The Board may in its discretion waive the requirement in Section 1(a) for an applicant who (1) has graduated from a law school located in the United States that is not approved by the ABA, was eligible upon graduation from that law school to take the bar examination of another state, and the Board finds is qualified by reason of education or experience to take the Indiana bar examination; or (2) has completed legal education in a jurisdiction outside the United States, has obtained a graduate degree from an ABA-approved law school in a program based on American law, and the Board finds is qualified by reason of education or experience to take the Indiana bar examination. Applicants seeking a waiver under this section must petition the Board by letter and provide the Board with the following materials:
(a) Official transcripts from each undergraduate college or university the applicant attended, reflecting all courses taken, the grade for each course, the number of semester hours of credit earned, and the degree(s) awarded, if any.(b) Official transcripts from each law school the applicant attended, reflecting all courses taken, the grade for each course, the number of semester hours of credit earned, and the degree(s) awarded, if any.(c) A narrative statement that includes a description of the applicant's legal education and training, a description of the applicant's work history, and reasons why the applicant believes a waiver is warranted.(d) Bar examination results-number of graduates from the applicant's law school(s) who passed/failed, classified by state administering the exam, for the previous three years.(e) A statement of whether the applicant has applied to take the bar exam in any other jurisdiction and the result of that request, and the result of any bar examination taken by the applicant.(f) For applicants who have completed legal education outside the United States, a description of that country's legal system, including, but not limited to, whether the English common law substantially forms the basis of that country's jurisprudence and whether English is the language of instruction and practice in the courts of that jurisdiction.(g) Any other documentation, material, or information the applicant believes is relevant to establish the applicant is qualified by reason of education or experience to take the Indiana bar examination. Any document submitted to the Board that is not in the English language must be translated into English. The Board may request additional information or material as it deems appropriate, and no material submitted to the Board will be returned to the applicant. The Board should grant a waiver when doing so would be in the public interest after balancing all relevant factors including the applicant's educational history and achievement, work history and achievement, bar exam results from other jurisdictions, desire to practice law in Indiana, and familiarity with the American legal system. The Board's decision is subject to final approval by the Court.
Ind. R. Att'y Adm. & Discip. 13
Amended effective 2/15/1954; amended effective 10/25/1963; amended effective 10/27/1971; amended effective 7/30/1973; amended Dec. 18, 1973, effective 2/1/1974; amended effective 2/19/1974; amended effective 3/6/1974; amended Nov. 24, 1975, effective 1/31/1976; amended Dec. 23, 1976, effective 1/1/1977; amended Dec. 30, 1976, effective 1/1/1977; amended Dec. 14, 1977, effective 1/1/1978; amended Nov. 1, 1982, effective 1/1/1983; amended Oct. 15, 1986, effective 1/1/1987; amended April 14, 1988, effective 1/1/1989; amended Nov. 30, 1989, effective 1/1/1990; amended effective 1/8/1990; amended Oct. 30, 1992, effective 1/1/1993; amended Dec. 18, 1995, effective 2/1/1996; amended effective 1/24/1996. Amended Dec. 23, 1996, effective 3/1/1997; amended February 15, 2024, effective 7/1/2024.