Ky. Sup. Ct. Order 2020-60 SCR 2.008

Rule 2.008 shall read:

An applicant is entitled to receive his or her test scores upon written

request and without charge. The Office of Bar Admissions shall not disclose to

anyone other than an applicant any information with respect to the character

and fitness or the examination results of any applicant except:

(a) upon written authority of such applicant and upon payment of any

fees required by the Board for copies of such reports;

(b) in response to a valid subpoena from a Court of competent

jurisdiction;

(c) to the Director, Kentucky Bar Association;

(d) upon request by a disciplinary enforcement agency or a Character

and Fitness Committee of any jurisdiction, relating to an investigation of the

applicant; or

(e) to the National Conference of Bar Examiners for purposes of scoring

examinations and to certify and transfer an applicant’s examination scores to

other jurisdictions upon request by the applicant.

CR 2.010 Requirements for admission to the Kentucky bar

Rule 2.010 shall read:

All applicants for admission to the bar of this state must meet certain

basic requirements regardless of whether admission is sought by examination

(SCR 2.022), by transferred Uniform Bar Examination score (SCR 2.090),

without examination (SCR 2.110), for a limited certificate (SCR 2.111) or as an

attorney participant in a defender or legal services program (SCR 2.112). Those

requirements are set forth in the following sections SCR 2.011 through SCR

2.017.

SCR 2.014 Legal education

Rule 2.014 shall read:

(1) Every applicant for admission to the Kentucky Bar must have completed

degree requirements for a J.D. or equivalent professional degree from a law

school approved by the American Bar Association or by the Association of

American Law Schools.

(2) Prior to or at the time of the examination, each applicant shall certify

that he or she has successfully completed a course of study in law school in

the subject of ethics, and that if admitted to practice, the applicant will adhere

to the Code of Ethics prescribed by the Supreme Court. The Character and

Fitness Committee of the Kentucky Office of Bar Admissions may, in

exceptional cases, waive the requirement that an applicant have successfully

completed a course of study in law school in the subject of ethics.

(3) An attorney who received a legal education in the United States but is

not eligible for admission by virtue of not having attended a law school

approved by the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law

Schools may nevertheless be considered for admission by examination provided

the attorney satisfies the following requirements:

(a) The attorney holds a J.D. Degree, which is not based on study by

correspondence, study online, or distance learning from a law school accredited

in the jurisdiction where it exists and which requires the equivalent of a three-year course of study that is the substantial equivalent of the legal education

provided by approved law schools located in Kentucky. The applicant shall bear

the cost of the evaluation of his/her legal education, as determined by the

Board, and the application shall not be processed until the applicant's legal

education is approved by the Board of Bar Examiners; and

(b) The attorney has been actively and substantially engaged in lawful

practice of law as his or her principal business or occupation for at least three

of the last five years immediately preceding the filing of the application; and

(c) In evaluating the education received the Board of Bar Examiners shall

consider, but not be limited to, such factors as the admission of the applicant

to the bar of another state or the District of Columbia, the similarity of the

curriculum taken to that offered in law schools approved by the American Bar

Association or by the Association of American Law Schools, and that the school

at which the applicant's legal education was received has been examined and

approved by other state bar associations examining the legal qualifications of

non-ABA law school graduates.

(d) The attorney meets all other requirements contained in the Rules of

the Supreme Court of Kentucky pertaining to Admission of Persons to Practice

Law.

(4) An attorney who received a legal education in a foreign country and is

not eligible for admission by virtue of not having attended a law school

approved by the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law

Schools may nevertheless be considered for admission by examination provided

the attorney satisfies the following requirements:

(a) The foreign attorney's legal education is the substantial equivalent of

the legal education provided by approved law schools located in Kentucky. The

applicant shall bear the cost of the evaluation of their legal education, as

determined by the Board, and the application shall not be processed until the

applicant's legal education is approved by the Board of Bar Examiners.

(b) In evaluating the education received the Board of Bar Examiners shall

consider, but not be limited to, such factors as the admission of the applicant

to the bar of another state or the District of Columbia, the similarity of the

curriculum taken to that offered in law schools approved by the American Bar

Association or by the Association of American Law Schools, that the school at

which the applicant's legal education was received has been examined and

approved by other state bar associations examining the legal qualifications of

foreign law school graduates, and the applicant's proficiency in written and

spoken English.

(c) The applicant shall, in order to qualify to sit for the Bar examination,

also submit a certified copy of the record or license of the court or agency

which admitted the applicant to practice law in such country, and satisfy the

requirement that the applicant has been actively and substantially engaged in

the lawful practice of law as his or her principal business or occupation for at

least three of the last five years immediately preceding the filing of the

application, in addition to any other requirements authorized by these rules.

(5) For purposes of (3)(b) and (4)(c), the active engagement in the teaching of

the law, full time at an American Bar Association accredited law school, shall

be considered active engagement in the practice of law.