The deadline date for filing the registration application shall be determined using the official date for the commencement of study announced by the registrant's law school. The registrant shall be responsible for submitting, as a part of the registration application, certified verification of that date upon the form supplied by the Board. Any fee required with a registration application filed pursuant to this rule shall be nonrefundable.
If the Committee, during the course of an investigation of the registrant, concludes that a complete set of his or her fingerprints would be of substantial assistance in the investigation, the Committee may direct the registrant to submit a complete set of his or her fingerprints. The failure of the registrant to submit, upon request, a complete set of his or her fingerprints, to fully and accurately comply with any reasonable request to produce documents or to appear personally before the Committee, or to fully and accurately provide such other information as reasonably may be requested by the Committee shall be a sufficient ground to deny approval of the registration.
If the Committee is reasonably satisfied that the registrant possesses good moral character, has completed the prelegal education required by these Rules (see Rule IV.A and Bl, and is fit to practice law in the State of Alabama in all other respects, it shall approve the registration, and the Secretary shall thereupon issue to the registrant a certificate of registration and cause a record thereof to be kept in the Secretary's office. If the registrant is found deficient in any of the aforementioned qualifications, the certificate of registration shall not be issued until and unless the Commi ttee is satisfied that the registrant has overcome the deficiency.
A majority of the Committee may at any time and place, if in meeting assembled, act for the Committee, with the power of examination herein granted the Committee, regardless of when the registration application was filed with the Secretary.
In cases where a registrant does not file the registration application within 390 days following the commencement of the study of law and the degree of investigation required makes immediate review or resolution of the registration impractical, the Committee may in its discretion defer its review and investigation of the registration to allow a reasonable opportunity to thoroughly investigate the registrant's character and fitness.
From a ruling of the Committee declining to approve the application for registration, an appeal shall lie to the Disciplinary Board of the Alabama State Bar (which, when acting in such capacity, shall be referred to as the "Character and Fitness Appeal Board"), if notice of appeal is filed with the Secretary and a copy of the notice is also filed with the Disciplinary Clerk of the Alabama State Bar within 30 days after the applicant has been notified of the action of the Committee. Such appeal shall be heard, de novo, within 30 days after the filing of the notice of appeal or at such time as agreed upon by stipulation between the appellant and the General Counsel of the Alabama State Bar.
Ala. R. Bar Adm. I
Note from the reporter of decisions: The order amending Rule I, Rules Governing Admission to the Alabama State Bar, effective August 8, 2008, is published in that volume of Alabama Reporter that contains Alabama cases from 993 So.2d.
Note from the reporter of decisions: The order amending the Rules Governing Admission to the Alabama State Bar is published in that volume of the Alabama Reporter that contains Alabama cases from 104 So.3d.
Note from the reporter of decisions: The order amending Rule I, Rule II, Rule III, Rule V, Rule VI(B), and Appendix, effective January 19, 2017, is published in that volume of Alabama Reporter that contains Alabama cases from ___ So. 3d.