Attorney

Exam

Third-party exam

Education

Degree

Experience

Not reported

Background check

Required

DESCRIPTION OF OCCUPATION: An Attorney represents clients in criminal and civil trials, draws up legal documents, and advises clients about their legal rights and obligations. Although they deal with many areas of law, they may specialize in one or more areas. REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSING: Experience and education requirement: Juris Doctorate degree is required. Each year, the bar exam is given in Honolulu, Hawaii during February and July. Admission to the bar of the State of Hawaii is by the authority of the Hawaii Supreme Court. The Rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii and the Hawaii Board of Bar Examiners Rules of Procedure can be found online at: http://www.courts.state.hi.us/legal_references/rules/RulesOfCourt.html For information related to the Bar Application, please see the Hawaii State Judiciary website at: http://www.courts.state.hi.us/legal_references/bar_application.html Continuing education: Hawaii State Bar Association tracks the continuing legal education that is required each year. Certification cannot substitute for a license. Criminal record: The National Conference of Bar Examiners conducts a character check and provides a character report for every individual who applies for a law license in Hawaii. A criminal record does not preclude licensing as an attorney, but it is taken into account when determining whether someone can be issued a license to practice. Veterans: Active duty military attorneys and spouses of active duty military can obtain a limited license. Rule 1.7 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Hawaii governs limited admission of full-time active duty military attorneys. Rule 1.17 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Hawaii governs limited admission of United States Uniformed Services spouse-attorneys. EXAMINATIONS: The Hawaii Bar Examination is given in February and July of each year. The exam consists of 5 components of which the following essay and multiple-choice exams are administered by the Hawaii Board of Examiners: the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), the Multistate Performance Exam (MPT), and the Hawaii Legal Ethics Exam. The Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) is administered 3 times a year by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) on behalf of the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). FEES: A $500 filing fee is required with the submission of a Hawaii bar application. Other required fees are for a character report to be paid directly to the National Conference of Bar Examiners (the fee amount will vary depending on the applicable fee category), a laptop user fee for applicants who choose to use a laptop to take the essay portion of the exam, and in accordance with Hawaii Revised Statute §605.5, a one-time mandatory attorney admission fee of $10 to be paid prior to admission to the bar. Upon admission to the unified Hawaii bar, there are mandatory annual membership dues and fees payable to the Hawaii State Bar Association (HSBA). OTHER: There were between 100-200 attorneys licensed in 2021. For the statistics on the number of currently licensed attorneys, refer to Hawaii State Bar Association website for their annual statistic: http://hsba.org. ~ revised 02/10/22