Supreme Court of Missouri
en banc
November 05, 2025
Effective January 01, 2026
In re:
Repeal of subdivision 8.03, entitled "Requirements for Admission to the Bar," and the Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.03; the Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.08, entitled "The Bar Examination;" the heading title and subdivision 8.09, entitled "Admission by Transferred Uniform Bar Examination Score;" and the Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.12, entitled "Hearings Before Board and Review by Court," of Rule 8, entitled "Admission to the Bar," and in lieu thereof adoption of a new subdivision 8.03, entitled "Requirements for Admission to the Bar," and new Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.03; new Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.08, entitled "The Bar Examination;" a new heading title and a new subdivision 8.09, entitled "Admission by Transferred Bar Examination Score;" and new Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.12, entitled "Hearings Before Board and Review by Court."
ORDER
1. It is ordered that, effective January 1, 2026, subdivision 8.03 and the Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.03; the Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.08; the heading title and subdivision 8.09; and the Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.12 of Rule 8 be and the same are hereby repealed and a new subdivision 8.03 and new Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.03; new Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.08; a new heading title and a new subdivision 8.09; and new Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners of subdivision 8.12 are adopted in lieu thereof to read as follows:
8.03 REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE BAR
(a) Every applicant for admission to the bar of this state shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Comply with all provisions set out in this Rule 8;
(2) File all application forms prescribed by the board and pay all prescribed fees;
(3) Either:
(A) Satisfy the requirements for admission as set out in Rule 8.07 and Rule 8.08; or
(B) Satisfy the requirements for admission as set out in Rule 8.09, Rule 8.10, Rule 8.105, or Rule 8.106;
(4) Be a citizen or national of the United States, an immigrant alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States, or an alien otherwise authorized to work lawfully in the United States;
(5) Satisfy the legal education requirements set out in Rule 8.07, Rule 8.09, Rule 8.10, Rule 8.105, or Rule 8.106; and
(6) Receive the approval of the board as to eligibility for admission and character and fitness as set out in Rule 8.11.
(b) An applicant seeking readmission to the bar because of disbarment by this Court is not required to meet the requirement set out in Rule 8.03(a)(6).
(c) Applicants for admission by examination must satisfy all requirements for admission to the bar of this state within one year after the date of written notification to the applicant of passing the bar examination or the applicant's examination scores shall be void. Applicants who transfer an examination score earned on the NextGen UBE or the Legacy UBE taken in another jurisdiction must satisfy all requirements for admission to the bar of this state within one year after the date of written notification to the applicant of acceptance of the transferred examination score. The board may extend the time period specified in this Rule 8.03(c) for good cause shown.
(d) The board shall certify to this Court those applicants qualified for admission under this Rule 8. The applicants so certified shall be granted a license to practice law upon taking and subscribing the oath or affirmation prescribed by Rule 8.15.
Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners
1. Payment of any fee shall be by good funds, cashier's check, certified check, or any manner the Court deems acceptable. Any insufficiency of payment or rejection of funds or credit shall be considered to be a prima facie basis to reject an application.
2. Application forms may be obtained on the Internet at www.mble.org.
3. If an application is not substantially complete, as determined by the board, the application may be rejected for filing.
4. All applications shall be fully and completely answered without reservation or exception. Complete candor and fully articulated responses to all inquiries are a condition precedent to board approval and recommendation.
5. Applicants for admission by examination who are successful on the examination but who have not satisfied all other requirements for admission on the date that examination results are released will be notified in writing that they have passed the examination. The examination scores of such applicants will be released to them, but their names will not be posted on the Internet or otherwise released to the public until all requirements for admission have been satisfied. The board shall not release the examination results of an applicant where there is reasonable concern that the scores are invalid for any reason until such time as the validity of the scores are confirmed.
8.08 THE BAR EXAMINATION
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Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners
1. The bar examination is the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination (NextGen UBE), prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which consists of three sections. Each section contains a combination of standalone, multiple-choice questions, integrated question sets, and performance tasks. The bar examination administered in Missouri prior to July 2026 is referred to as the Legacy Uniform Bar Exam (Legacy UBE). The Legacy UBE will continue to be prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners until February 2028 and consists of six Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) questions, two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).
2. The bar examination is administered on the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday in February and July. For the Legacy UBE, the MEE and MPT were administered on Tuesday and the MBE was administered on Wednesday.
3. The bar examination questions are graded according to the law of general application and not the law of any specific state.
4. NextGen UBE scores are reported as a single number on a scale from 500 to 750. Standalone, multiple-choice questions make up 49% of the overall exam score; integrated question sets make up 21% of the overall exam score; and performance tasks make up 30% of the overall exam score. A scaled total score of at least 610 is required to pass the NextGen UBE. Raw scores earned in the MEE and MPT portions of the Legacy UBE are combined and scaled to the MBE to calculate scaled essay scores. MBE scores are weighted 50%, MEE scores are weighted 30%, and MPT scores are weighted 20% in calculating scaled total scores, which are expressed on a 400-point scale. An applicant's scaled total score is the sum of the applicant's scaled MBE score and scaled essay score. A scaled total score of at least 260 is required to pass the Legacy UBE.
5. The results of the bar examination will be published and disseminated at such dates and times as this Court shall set.
6. No regrading or rescoring of any part of the essay portion of the examination will be provided. No appeal or review of exam scores or results is allowed.
7. Scores of an applicant on the bar examination will not be disclosed to the public, except that the board is authorized to:
(a) Make public statistical results of the examination;
(b) Disclose to the law school from which an applicant graduated the applicant's grades, provided the applicant has signed a release form authorizing the board to do so;
(c) Disclose to the law school from which an applicant graduated the applicant's pass/fail status; and
(d) Certify, upon an applicant's request, an applicant's scaled score to other jurisdictions in which the applicant seeks admission.
9. Enrollment ceremonies for successful applicants will be held in Jefferson City at such locations, dates, and times as this Court shall set.
10. Testing accommodations will be provided for applicants demonstrating a disability to the extent such accommodations are reasonable, consistent with the nature and purpose of the examination, and necessitated by the applicant's disability. Applicants needing accommodations shall file a petition for testing accommodations in such form as prescribed by the board. A fully completed petition for testing accommodations, including all required supporting documentation, shall be submitted with the application for bar examination in accordance with the filing deadlines set out in Rule 8.07 and subject to the corresponding prescribed fee.
8.09 ADMISSION BY TRANSFERRED BAR EXAMINATION SCORE
(a) An applicant who has taken the NextGen UBE or the Legacy UBE in a jurisdiction other than Missouri and earned a scaled total score of not less than 610 on the NextGen UBE or not less than 260 on the Legacy UBE may be admitted to the practice of law in this state if:
(1) The scaled total score was attained on an examination administered within five years preceding the date the application is properly submitted;
(2) The applicant holds a first professional degree in law (J.D. or LL.B.) from a law school approved by the American Bar Association or furnishes to the board satisfactory evidence that he or she met the requirements of Rule 8.07(d) or (e) at the time the applicant submits an application for admission by Rule 8.09;
(3) The applicant files the application and related forms required by the board and pays the prescribed, non-refundable fee;
(4) The board approves the applicant's character and fitness as required by Rule 8.11;
(5) The applicant successfully completes the MECT described in Rule 8.08(c) no earlier than the date the application is properly submitted and no later than one year after the date of written notification of receipt by the board of an acceptable UBE score;
(6) The applicant has earned a scaled score of not less than 80 on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, which score must be received by the board no later than one year after the date of written notification of receipt by the board of an acceptable UBE score; and
(7) The applicant satisfies all other applicable requirements of Rule 8.
(b) An applicant who has a pending application to take the NextGen UBE or the Legacy UBE in a jurisdiction other than Missouri may concurrently apply for admission by transferred score pursuant to this Rule 8.09. Concurrent applicants must meet all requirements of Rule 8.09, except for 8.09(a)(1), and scores transferred pursuant to this Rule 8.09(b) must be received by the board no later than December 31 for a score earned on the preceding July exam and no later than June 30 for a score earned on the preceding February exam.
8.12 HEARINGS BEFORE BOARD AND REVIEW BY COURT
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Regulations of the Board of Law Examiners
1. In any notification to an applicant that the board:
(a) Refuses to grant approval;
(b) Recommends the imposition of conditions; or
(c) Will hold a hearing on its own motion,
the board will notify the applicant of the general areas or subject matter of its concern. The board shall not be required to itemize each basis for its determination.
2. The board, upon written request of any applicant, shall request that the clerk of the Court issue a subpoena to a third person (other than employees of the office of the clerk, members of the board, or employees or agents of the board) to compel testimony or to produce documents. The written request must be received at least seven days before any scheduled hearing and must demonstrate that such testimony, evidence, and documents, as the case may be, are reasonably calculated to aid the inquiry.
3. The hearing process is not an adversary proceeding but is a fact-finding process for the ultimate benefit of the public interest. No discovery is permitted and contentious or overbearing or hostile tactics and presentations are discouraged.
4. In any hearing the board may take testimony by telephone.
5. Any request for a continuance of a hearing must comply with the following requirements:
(a) The request must be made in writing and signed by the applicant or the applicant's attorney;
(b) The request must set forth with particularity the reasons for the delay sought and whether previous hearings have been continued at the request of the applicant;
(c) The request must be submitted to the board as soon as practicable but, except in extraordinary circumstances, not later than seven days before the day upon which the hearing is scheduled.
Requests for continuance may be submitted electronically to the board's office in Jefferson City.
2. It is ordered that notice of this order be published in the Journal of The Missouri Bar.
3. It is ordered that this order be published in the South Western Reporter.
Day - to – Day
W. Brent Powell Chief Justice
W. Brent Powell Chief Justice