Alaska Bar R. 2

Section 1.

Every general applicant for examination

shall:

(a) File an application in a form prescribed by the Board

and produce and file the evidence and documents prescribed

by the Board in proof of eligibility for admission;

(b) Be a graduate with a degree of Juris Doctor (JD) or

Bachelor of Laws (LLB) of a law school which was accredited

or approved by the Council of Legal Education of the

American Bar Association or the Association of American

Law Schools when the applicant entered or graduated, or

submit proof that the law course required for graduation for

either the JD or LLB degree from such a law school will be

completed and that a JD or LLB degree will be received as a

matter of course before the date of examination. Certified

proof of graduation shall be sent directly from the law school

to the Alaska Bar Association and received prior to the date of

the examination;

(c) Have attained the age of 18 years; and

(d) Be one whose conduct justifies the trust of clients,

adversaries, courts and others with respect to the professional

duties owed to them. Conduct manifesting a significant

deficiency in the honesty, trustworthiness, diligence or

reliability of an applicant is a basis for denial of admission.

Any of the following should be treated as cause for further

inquiry before the bar examining authority decides whether the

applicant possesses the character and fitness to practice law:

(1) a criminal conviction except minor traffic violations;

(2) academic misconduct which has resulted in disciplinary action;

(3) making of false statements under oath or affirmation,

including omissions;

(4) acts involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;

(5) unjustifiable neglect of financial obligations;

(6) violation of an order of a court;

(7) evidence of mental or emotional disorders;

(8) evidence of drug or alcohol abuse or dependency;

(9) denial of admission to the Bar in another jurisdiction

on character and fitness grounds;

(10) disciplinary action by an attorney disciplinary

agency, other professional disciplinary agency or any

governmental or administrative agency of any jurisdiction.

In weighing each of the above factors, the following

should be considered in assigning weight and significance to

prior conduct or condition:

(1) the applicant’s age at the time of the conduct or

condition;

(2) the recency of the conduct or condition;

(3) the reliability of the information concerning the

conduct or condition;

(4) the seriousness of the conduct or condition;

(5) the circumstances surrounding the conduct or

condition;

(6) the cumulative effect of conduct, condition or

information;

(7) the evidence of stabilization or rehabilitation;

(8) the applicant’s positive social contribution since the

conduct or condition;

(9) the applicant’s truthfulness in the admissions process;

and

(10) the materiality of any omissions or misrepresentations.

(e) Not be disbarred or suspended for disciplinary

reasons, not have resigned with disciplinary charges pending,

or otherwise not be in good standing for disciplinary reasons in

any jurisdiction. A person who cannot satisfy this subsection

may not submit an application for admission.

Section 2.

(a)

An applicant who meets the requirements of (a) through (e) of Section 1 of this Rule and

has engaged in the active practice of law in one or more states,

territories, or the District of Columbia for three of the five

years immediately preceding the date of the applicant’s

application may upon motion be admitted to the Alaska Bar

Association without taking the bar examination. The motion

shall be served on the executive director of the Alaska Bar

Association. An applicant will be excused from taking the bar

examination upon compliance with the conditions above, and

payment of a non-refundable fee to be set by the Board for

applicants seeking admission on motion.

(b) An applicant is not eligible for admission under this

section if the applicant has engaged in the unauthorized

practice of law in Alaska.

(c) For the purposes of this section, the “active practice

of law” shall mean at least 750 hours per year in one or more

of the following activities:

(1) engaged in representing one or more clients in the

private practice of law, which may include pro bono legal

services as described in the Alaska Rules of Professional

Conduct 6.1(a) and (b)(1)-(2);

(2) serving as an attorney in governmental employment,

or as a law clerk for a judicial officer, provided graduation

from an ABA or AALS accredited law school is a required

qualification of such employment;

(3) serving as counsel for a non-governmental corporation, entity or person and performing legal services of a

nature requiring a license to practice law in the jurisdiction(s)

in which performed;

(4) teaching law at one or more accredited law schools in

the United States, its territories, or the District of Columbia;

(5) serving as a judge in a court of the United States, its

states, its territories, or the District of Columbia; or

(6) employed by a Legal Services Corporation program

or a not-for-profit law firm, performing legal services of a

nature requiring a license to practice law in the jurisdiction(s)

in which performed.

(d) An applicant not eligible for admission pursuant to

this section may qualify for general applicant status.

Section 3.

(a) A person who has not graduated from a

law school accredited or approved by the Council of Legal

Education of the American Bar Association or the Association

of American Law Schools shall be eligible to take the bar

examination as a general applicant if the person

(1) has been licensed to practice law in one or more

jurisdictions in the United States for three of the five years

immediately preceding the date of the person’s first or

subsequent applications for admission to the practice of law in

Alaska,

(2) was engaged in the active practice of law for three of

those five years, and

(3) meets the requirements of (a), (c), (d), and (e) of

Section 1 of this Rule.

(b) A person shall also be eligible to take the bar

examination as a general applicant if the person

(1) has successfully completed not less than one academic

year of education at a law school accredited or approved by the

Council of Legal Education of the American Bar Association

or the Association of American Law Schools,

(2) has successfully completed a clerkship program under

AS 08.08.207, and

(3) meets the requirements of (a), (c), (d), and (e) of

Section 1 of this Rule.

(c) A person who is a graduate of a law school in which

the principles of English law are taught but which is located

outside the United States and beyond the jurisdiction of the

Council of Legal Education of the American Bar Association

or the Association of American Law Schools may be eligible

to take the bar examination as a general applicant if the person

submits proof that

(1) the foreign law school from which the person

graduated meets the American Bar Association’s Council of

Legal Education standards for approval,

(2) the person has either

(a) successfully completed not less than one academic

year of education at a law school accredited or approved by the

Council of Legal Education of the American Bar Association

or the Association of American Law Schools, including

evidence satisfactory to the Board of Governors that the person

has successfully completed not less than one course in United

States Constitutional Law and one course in Civil Procedure in

the United States, or

(b) is a member in good standing of the Bar of one or

more states, territories, or the District of Columbia and was

admitted to the Bar of that state, territory, or the District of

Columbia after written examination, and

(3) meets the requirements of (a), (c), (d), and (e) of

Section 1 of this Rule.

(d) A person eligible to take the bar examination as a

general applicant under (a) through (c) of this section shall

request that:

(1) certified proof of graduation and/or attendance be sent

directly from the law school(s) attended to the Alaska Bar

Association, and

(2) where applicable under Section 3(c)(2)(b), a certificate

of good standing from the Bar of the state, territory, or District

of Columbia where the person is licensed to practice law be

sent directly to the Alaska Bar Association. Proof of

attendance and/or graduation and the certificate of good

standing must be received prior to the date of the examination.

Section 4.

An applicant who meets the requirements of

(a) through (e) of Section 1 of this Rule or meets the

requirements of Section 3 of this Rule, and has achieved a

scaled score of 270 or above on a Uniform Bar Examination

(UBE) administered in any state, territory, or the District of

Columbia within five years preceding the date of the

application to the Alaska Bar Association may be admitted to

the Alaska Bar Association.