Petition for Admission by UBE Transfer

Information on filing the Petition for Admission by Transfer of Score

• Applications may only be submitted by e-filing.
• Applications will not require wet signatures for attorney recommendations or letters of recommendation. Photocopies will be accepted.
• All other questions may be directed to the Attorney Services Department at (617) 557-1050 or via email at sjc.mass.bar.admission@jud.state.ma.us.

Information required to file your Petition and below stated documents

• Valid email address
• NCBE number
• Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) information detailing the date of the exam (taken within 36 months), the jurisdiction where you took the UBE, and, the Score (270 or higher). The submission must be by the last day of the 36th month.
• Surname Information - date, location, and reason for change
• Address history for previous 5 years, including dates
• Education history including all disciplinary actions and applicable records as well as explanations
• Employment (legal and other) history since the age of eighteen (18) with dates of employment, employer reference, and reason for leaving
• Dates of all other applications and admissions to jurisdictions
• Dates of all Professional licenses applications (other than as an attorney)
• Appointed, Elected or Judicial appointments
• Professional discipline - other than attorney discipline - (charges, grievances, suspensions, etc.) and applicable records as well as explanations
• Legal practice discipline (charges, grievances, suspensions, etc.) and applicable records as well as explanations
• Legal Proceedings (other than as representing counsel for civil, administrative, criminal, financial, charges, grievances, suspensions, etc.) and applicable records as well as explanations

Important Information for Foreign-Educated Attorneys: 

As a prerequisite to submitting a Petition for Admission by Transfer UBE Score, foreign-educated attorneys are required to seek an Advanced Determination of Eligibility, as required by Board of Bar Examiners Rule VI.  Petitions for Admission received without the required Advanced Determination of Eligibility will be placed in pending status until the required Advanced Determination of Eligibility has been confirmed. Click Advanced Determination of Eligibility for Foreign-Educated Attorneys for more information. If the BBE receive Petitions for Admission by UBE Transfer without the Advanced Determination of Eligibility for Foreign-Educated Attorneys, then those applications will be rejected.

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Documents you are required to attach to your Petition for Admission by Transfer of Uniform Bar Exam

Score Earned in another Jurisdiction:

Assemble the following documents.

• Confirmation issued from the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) that you requested your UBE score transcript (showing a test date within 36 months and a score of 270 or higher) be sent to Massachusetts.
• Law School Certificate completed, signed and dated by your law school.
• MPRE Score Report -You may request a copy of your MPRE Score Report by contacting the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) via email at score.services@ncbex.org or visit their website at www.ncbex.org . You can also contact NCBE at 608-280-8550.

If you have not previously taken the MPRE, you must take and achieve a scaled MPRE score of 85 or greater prior to filing a Petition for Admission.

• Two Letters of Recommendation dated within 90 days You must adhere to the strict protocol required for the Letters of Recommendation. See the Guidelines for Letters of Recommendation for additional information. The Board of Bar Examiners may also request updated documents throughout the application process.
• Certificates of Admission and Good Standing and Grievance Letters, if applicable:

1. Current (dated within 90 days of filing) Certificate(s) of Admission and Good Standing from the highest judicial court of each state, district, territory, province or foreign country to which you are admitted. The Board of Bar Examiners may request updated documents throughout the application process.
2. Current (dated within 90 days of filing) Grievance Letter from the grievance or disciplinary entity of each state, district, territory, province or foreign country to which you are admitted, indicating that there are no charges pending against you. Even if no complaints or grievances have been filed, or are pending against you, the Grievance Letter will state that and is still required. The Board of Bar Examiners may request updated documents throughout the application process.

• Statement of Details to all affirmative answers, including legal proceedings, academic discipline, etc.
• Records of any Legal Practice discipline (charges, grievances, suspensions, etc.), if applicable.
• Records of any Professional (other than attorney) discipline (charges, grievances, suspensions, etc.), if applicable. 
• Records of any Legal Proceedings (other than as representing counsel for civil, administrative, criminal, financial, charges, grievances, suspensions, etc.), if applicable.
• All Petitions for Admission must be accompanied by an Attorney Recommendation on the appropriate court form.
  • Attorney Recommendation Form
  • The attorney mist be a licensed member of the bar within the United States
  • The attorney signing this form may also submit one of the two letters of recommendation

Note - To successfully e-file, you must assemble all required documents and electronically save them so that they are available for upload during your completion of the Petition for Admission interview. Please review our Naming Conventions Document for more information on how to name your documents.

Questions regarding these filing requirements may be directed to the Supreme Judicial Court Clerk’s Office for Suffolk County at 617-557-1050, unless otherwise stated.

Questions regarding the content of the Petition for Admission may be directed to the Board of Bar Examiners at (617) 482-4466.

Once a Petition for Admission is filed, the Petition will be evaluated over a period of up to four (4) months, during which time the Board will review and evaluate the Petition.  The Petitioner will be provided with a determination of the Board's decision following the completion of this process.

A Petition for Admission may be closed if steps have not been taken to meet the requirements for transferring a previously earned UBE score.

Every person filing a Petition for Admission to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on or after March 1, 2018 is required to pass a Massachusetts Law Component exam as a condition of bar admission. It is recommended that you complete the MLC without delay as the Board will not complete its review of your petition without confirmation that you completed the MLC. See The Massachusetts Law Component (MLC) for further information regarding this requirement.