The diploma privilege is a method for lawyers to be admitted to the bar without taking a bar examination. Once used by as many as 32 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Wisconsin is currently the only state that offers the diploma privilege for admission to its state bar. Most recently, West Virginia did away with the rule in 1988, Montana in 1983, and Mississippi in 1981. In the United States, admission to the bar is permission granted to a lawyer to practice law. ... A bar examination is a lengthy examination (two or more days) conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction. ... ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 23rd 169,790 km² 420 km 500 km 17 42°30N to 47°3N 86°49W to 92°54W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 18th 5,453,896 38. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 41st 62,809 km² 210 km 385 km 0. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 4th 381,156 km² 410 km 1,015 km 1 44°26 N to 49° N 104°2 W to 116°2 W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 44th 902,195 2. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 32nd 125,546 km² 275 km 545 km 3 30°13N to 35°N 88°7W to 91°41W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 31st 2,697,243 23. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Diploma privilege in Wisconsin

Wisconsin's diploma privilege goes back to 1870, when it was passed as part of the same legislation that established the University of Wisconsin Law School. The upshot of the privilege is that, in Wisconsin, graduates of ABA-accredited law schools in the state—the Marquette University Law School and the University of Wisconsin Law School—may seek admission to the state bar of Wisconsin without having to sit for a bar examination. To qualify for the diploma privilege, graduates must meet certain criteria with regard to the courses they have taken in law school and their academic performance in those courses. Law graduates seeking the diploma privilege must still meet the state's character and fitness requirements. The University of Wisconsin Law School is located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. ... The University of Wisconsin Law School is located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. ... // A law school is an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. ...

Graduates of out-of-state law schools, even if they are Wisconsin residents, must still take the Wisconsin bar exam to be admitted in Wisconsin. Likewise, graduates of Wisconsin law schools must take the bar exam for other states in which they are going to practice. A number of U.S. states do not grant reciprocal admission for attorneys who obtained their bar admission through the diploma privilege, requiring those attorneys to take that state's bar exam, regardless of the length of that attorney's practice.

See also

• Bar examination

A bar examination is a lengthy examination (two or more days) conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction. ...

External links

• Letter from Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson to the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility
• Some opinions about the diploma privilege from the Wisconsin Lawyer magazine...
• ...and some more.

American Bar Associations Washington, DC office The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. ...

References

• Moran, Beverly. The Wisconsin Diploma Privilege: Try It, You’ll Like It, 2000 Wis. L. Rev. 645 (2000).
• Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules, Chapter 40, relating to bar admission