Rule 3 - RULE 1B APPLICANT- ADMISSION ON TRANSFERRED UBE SCOREa.General. Article II, Rule 1B of the Supreme Court Rules, as adopted on September 7, 2018, provides for admission to the Rhode Island Bar upon the transfer of a UBE Score of 276 or higher. On March 25, 2021, Rule 1B was amended to reduce the UBE Score eligible for transfer to Rhode Island to 270 starting with UBE administered in February 2021. Pursuant to Rule 1B, individuals may seek admission to this state's bar by transfer of a Uniform Bar Examination score of 276 or higher earned in an administration of the Uniform Bar Examination before February 2021 and 270 or higher earned on a February 2021 administration of the Uniform Bar Examination and thereafter. This Rule of Practice sets forth the rules governing admission to the Rhode Island Bar by transfer of a UBE Score pursuant to Article II, Rule 1B.b.Petition for Admission to the Rhode Island Bar. Every person applying for admission to the Rhode Island Bar by transfer of a UBE Score shall electronically file, under oath, with the Supreme Court the Petition for Admission to the Rhode Island Bar available on RISCAP and shall satisfy the Board that he/she has met all requirements set forth in Rule 1B and further promulgated herein. i. Prerequisites for Article II, Rule 1B Applicants. Petitions received from persons who have not first met the following requirements shall be rejected: 1) The applicant shall meet the requirements set forth in Article II, Rule 1(a), (b), (c) and (d) of the Supreme Court Rules: (a)Citizenship. All applicants shall be citizens of the United States or legal residents, of good character. (b)Age. All applicants shall be at least twenty-one (21) years of age. (c)Law Study. All applicants shall have graduated and received a law degree from a law school accredited and approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and approved by the Board. By submitting an application, the applicant attests to the fact that he/she has graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from an ABA accredited and approved law school.(d)Past Bar Examination Results. No person who has failed five (5) or more bar examinations, whether in Rhode Island or in any combination of states, districts, and territories of the United States, will be permitted to take the Rhode Island Bar Examination, and no special order excepting any such person from this five (5) examination limit will be granted by the Court. Failure to achieve the minimum passing score required by the rules in place at the time of the administration of the UBE in any jurisdiction constitutes a failed bar examination for purposes of this rule. 2)Qualifying UBE Score. The applicant shall have earned a minimum score of 276 or higher on an administration of the Uniform Bar Examination before February 2021 and 270 or higher earned on a February 2021 administration of the Uniform Bar Examination and thereafter and which occurred within two (2) years of filing his or her Petition. Applicants shall have their official UBE Score Transcript forwarded to the Clerk by the NCBE prior to the filing of a Petition. The Board will not entertain waivers of the minimum UBE score eligible for transfer to Rhode Island or the transfer deadline.3)Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. All applicants shall be required to have achieved a scaled score of not less than 80 on the MPRE within the five (5) years prior to filing his or her Petition for Admission on Transferred UBE Score. Scores achieved on a MPRE taken more than five (5) years prior to filing his or her Petition for Admission on Transferred UBE score shall not be accepted. Applicants shall have their official MPRE Score Report forwarded to the Clerk prior to filing a Petition. MPRE scores shall be forwarded to the Clerk directly by the NCBE and not the applicant.4) All prerequisites for admission must be satisfied as of the filing of his or her Petition and throughout the pendency of a Petition for Admission. ii. Petition. All Petitions for admission pursuant to Article II, Rule 1B shall be filed and processed in conformity with Practice Rules 2.(b).(ii.) - (iv.), except that Petitions from persons seeking admission pursuant to Article II, Rule 1B may be filed on a rolling basis. iii. Duty to Update Petition. Applicants have an ongoing duty to update their Petition to ensure that all of the information included therein is current, complete, and accurate at all times. Updated information must be reported to and filed within ten (10) days of any such changes by submitting on RISCAP a fully executed Amendment to Petition for Admission to the Rhode Island Bar. The applicant's duty to update his/her Petition remains until he/she has taken the Oath of Attorney in Rhode Island and has registered as a member of the Rhode Island Bar, or until the Application has been closed. Any failure to update may result in the closing of the applicant's Petition and/or denial of admission to the Rhode Island Bar. iv. Withdrawal of Petition. An applicant may withdraw his/her Petition for Admission on transferred UBE score by filing on RISCAP a Request to Withdraw Petition for Admission to the Rhode Island Bar. Upon receipt, the applicant's Petition shall be closed. Applicants who have withdrawn their Petition must submit a new Petition should they choose to seek admission to the Rhode Island Bar in the future.c.Character and Fitness Assessment. Practice Rule 2(c) shall apply to all applicants seeking admission to the Rhode Island Bar pursuant to Article II, Rule 1B. Applicants seeking admission pursuant to Article II, Rule 1B may be required to submit to a character investigation conducted by the NCBE for an additional fee. Rule 1B applicants who are required to submit to NCBE character investigation shall promptly respond to inquiries from the NCBE regarding their pending investigation. d.Acceptance of UBE Transfer. Applicants seeking admission to the Rhode Island Bar pursuant to Article II, Rule 1B may be accepted for admission upon the Board's finding that all applicable requirements in the Court Rules and these Rules of Practice have been met. i. Posting. The Board shall promptly post the names of all Rule 1B applicants whose UBE score transfer applications are accepted. ii. Notification to Applicants. The Board shall notify each Rule 1B applicant whether their Petition for Admission has been accepted by such means as it may determine. iii. Admission to the Rhode Island Bar. Rule 1B applicants whose transfer of a UBE score has been accepted by the Board must comply with the admission process set forth in Practice Rules 2(e)(iii), including subsections (1)(Swearing-in) and (2)(Attorney Registration).e.Failure to Satisfy Requirements for Admission. The acceptance of a UBE score transfer of any applicant who is later determined not to have met the requirements of the Court Rules and these Rules of Practice is void.R.I. Brd. Bar Exam. R. Prac. Admiss. Examin. 3
Amended effective 3/5/2019; amended effective (with the administration of the February 2021 bar examination) 2/1/2021.