Admission to the Rhode Island Bar

The Supreme Court regulates the admission of attorneys to practice in all the courts of the state. (See G.L. 1956 § 8-1-2)

The qualifications needed for admission of attorneys and others to practice law are set forth in Article II of the Supreme Court Rules for Admission of Attorneys and Others to Practice Law and in the Board of Bar Examiners Rules of Practice Governing Admission on Examination and by Transferred Uniform Bar Examination Score. The bar admissions staff is not permitted to interpret rules.

Rhode Island Supreme Court Attorney Portal

The Rhode Island Supreme Court Attorney Portal (RISCAP) is the electronic filing portal applicants use to submit a Petition for Admission along with other filings.

We only accept fees through RISCAP by echeck (account name and address, account number, and routing number required) or credit card (VISA, Discover, and Mastercard).

RISCAP is maintained by Tyler Technologies. If applicants experience technical problems submitting filings through RISCAP, please call this toll-free number at 1-833-307-2324 or email support at support@odysseyguideandfile.zendesk.com and explain the difficulties you are having with the RISCAP system. Do not contact the Bar Administrator for assistance with technical problems.

National Conference of Bar Examiners

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) creates the elements of the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), hosts the NCBE application portion of the Petition for Admission, conducts character investigations, and is the entity from whom UBE and Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) scores are transferred.

Deadlines

	February Bar Examination	July Bar Examination	Notes
Rule 1	October 1 to December 1	March 1 to May 1	If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or State of Rhode Island holiday, the deadline is the following Monday or business day.
Rule 1B	Not applicable	Not applicable	Rolling Deadlines see Rules*
Rule 2(a)	July 1 to September 1	December 1 to February 1	If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or State of Rhode Island holiday, the deadline is the following Monday or business day.

February Bar Examination

July Bar Examination

Notes

Rule 1

October 1 to December 1

March 1 to May 1

If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or State of Rhode Island holiday, the deadline is the following Monday or business day.

Rule 1B

Not applicable

Rolling Deadlines see Rules*

Rule 2(a)

July 1 to September 1

December 1 to February 1

If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or State of Rhode Island holiday, the deadline is the following Monday or business day.

*Article II, Rule 1B deadlines are on a rolling basis. The applicant determines the deadline for submission of the application. Applicants who file a petition by January 2 each year will be eligible for admission in April, and applicants who file by June 2 each year will be eligible for admission in September. Applicants who file petitions after these dates are held for the next admission cycle. Eligible applicants must have a complete file, been approved by the Board of Bar Examiners, and have been recommended for admission by the Committee on Character and Fitness.

There is no Provision for Late Filing.

Bar Examination Fees

	Petition for Admission - Renewed Petition for Admission	Deferral	Petition to Reapply	Other
Rule 1	$975	$300	$975	$30 NCBE Application Processing Fee
Rule 1	$975	$300	$975	$25 Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) Transfer Fee
Rule 1B	$975	N/A	N/A	$30 NCBE Application Processing Fee
Rule 1B	$975	N/A	N/A	NCBE Character Report Fee*
Rule 2(a)	$975	$300	$975	NCBE Character Report Fee*
All fees are nonrefundable and nontransferrable

*Rule 1B applicants may be required to submit to a character investigation conducted by the NCBE.

Please consult Article II, the Board of Bar Examiners Rules, and the Admission to the Rhode Island Bar sections of the Judiciary's website for additional information on these fees and the application process.

Release of Bar Examination Results

The date of the release of the bar examination results will be announced at the examination. A list of passing applicants will be posted on the Judiciary's website under the "News" link or you can click on “Announcements” under Quick Links on this page.

Applicants will also be notified of the results on RISCAP accounts through a change of Application Status (pending to pass or fail) setting and by official results letters mailed to the address previously provided by applicants in their application. Only official results letters will include scoring information.

Applicants are asked to refer to the official results letter before contacting the Clerk's Office with questions about the results.

Swearing-In Ceremonies

In-person, formal group swearing-in ceremonies are conducted in the Supreme Court courtroom located at the Licht Judicial Complex, 250 Benefit Street, 7th Floor, Providence, Rhode Island.

Specific dates and times assigned to eligible applicants will be posted on the Judiciary's website on results release day under the “News" link or you can click on “Announcements” under Quick Links on this page. The dates and times assigned to applicants are firm.

Applicants are asked to report to the Supreme Court Clerk's Office fifteen (15) minutes prior to the assigned swearing-in time to sign in for the ceremony and be provided further instructions. Please bring photo identification.

Ceremonies are open to the public. Seating in the courtroom is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. There are parking garages and street parking (fee and non-fee) near and around the courthouse.

Contact

Rhode Island Supreme Court
Clerk’s Office
Licht Judicial Complex
250 Benefit Street, 7th Floor
Providence, Rhode Island 02903

(401) 222-3272 telephone
(401) 222-3599 facsimile

ribarexam@courts.ri.gov

If applicants experience technical problems submitting filings through the Rhode Island Supreme Court Attorney Portal (RISCAP), please call this toll-free number at 1-833-307-2324 or email support at support@odysseyguideandfile.zendesk.com and explain the difficulties you are having with the RISCAP system.