Supreme Court of Ohio

Instructions to Applicants for Registration as Candidates for Admission to the Practice of Law

Before you complete this application, you should read Rule I of the Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar.

Every person who intends to take the Ohio bar examination must file an Application to Register as a Candidate for Admission to the Practice of Law ("Application to Register"). Pursuant to Rule I of the Supreme Court Rules for the Government of the Bar, an Application to Register must be filed with the Clerk of the Supreme Court, through the Office of Bar Admissions, by November 15 in the applicant’s second year of law school. Whether an applicant is in the "second year of law school" is determined from the date the applicant began the study of law as certified by the dean. An applicant's second year of law school begins one year from the date the applicant began the study of law and ends two years from that date (without regard to how many law school credits the applicant has earned). An application is not considered filed until the complete application is actually received in the the Office of Bar Admissions.

If you wish to file an Application to Register, you must submit all of the following:

  1. a completed Registration Application;
  2. a certificate executed by the dean of your law school certifying when you first began the study of law;
  3. a completed original and one copy of the Applicant’s Character Questionnaire, typed and properly executed;
  4. your fingerprints taken by a sheriff, deputy sheriff, municipal police officer, or state highway patrol officer on the form used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
  5. three original (separately executed) Authorization and Release forms;
  6. as required, original Authorizations to Release Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse Records (complete only if you answer "yes" to any applicable question on the Applicant’s Character Questionnaire);
  7. a certified copy of your college transcript evidencing that you earned a bachelor’s degree prior to admission to law school;
  8. a non-refundable registration fee in the amount of $75, by certified check or money order made payable to the Supreme Court of Ohio;
  9. a non-refundable fee, by certified check or money order made payable to the National Conference of Bar Examiners ("NCBE"), in the appropriate amount as indicated on the enclosed NCBE fee schedule; and
  10. a non-refundable late fee in the amount of $200, by certified check or money order made payable to the Supreme Court of Ohio, if your complete Application to Register is not filed (received in the Office of Bar Admissions) by November 15 of your second year of law school.

All forms needed for completion of Items 1-6 are available online. The information you provide on the forms must be typed.

If your Application to Register is incomplete when submitted, it will not be accepted and will be returned to you for completion. An application is deemed incomplete if it does not have the necessary documents attached; if it is not accompanied by the appropriate fee(s); if any portion of it is not properly executed; if any portion of it is missing; or if any questions are unanswered, incompletely answered or missing any required details.

After your Application to Register is filed, you will have a continuous reporting obligation and must notify the Office of Bar Admissions in writing of any changes or additions to the information provided in your Application.

Your Application to Register is a preliminary application. The filing and approval of it will not gain you admission to an Ohio bar examination. Before you may sit for a bar examination, you must file an Application to Take the Bar Examination by the deadline imposed in Rule I.

If you have any questions regarding your Application to Register or any of the provisions of Rule I, contact the Office of Bar Admissions of the Supreme Court of Ohio at 614.387.9340. Applications, application updates, and correspondence regarding admissions matters should be mailed to the following address:

Office of Bar Admissions
Supreme Court of Ohio
65 South Front Street, 5th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3431