Rules

Pursuant to Rule 13(1), an Applicant who is authorized to practice law in another state is exempt from the requirement of successfully completing the Texas Bar Examination if the Applicant:

1. has been actively and substantially engaged in the lawful practice of law as the Applicant’s principal business or occupation for at least five of the last seven years immediately preceding the filing of the Application;
2. has a J.D. degree from an approved law school; and
3. has not failed the Texas Bar Examination.

It is your responsibility to carefully read the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas, in particular Rules II and 13, to determine whether you qualify for AWOX. We cannot give any advisory opinions, nor can any determination of eligibility occur before an application is filed.

Because Rule 13 admission is an exception to the general eligibility requirements of Rule 2, it is strictly construed. Evaluate your practice experience to determine whether you qualify under Rule 13(1), (2), or 3(a). Do not apply for AWOX if you do not meet the requirements of Rule 13(1). Per Rule 18(b), fees are not refunded or transferred.

Electronic Communications

It is important that you check this website and your ATLAS account on a regular basis to review our latest postings. We will correspond with you primarily through your ATLAS account, but we may also correspond with you by e-mail and through the U.S. postal service. You must keep your e-mail address and mailing address updated in your ATLAS account.

You are deemed by the Board to have received and read:

• e-mail we send to the e-mail address you have provided in your ATLAS account
• messages we post in your ATLAS account
• mail we send to you at the mailing address you have provided in your ATLAS account.

TIP: Add @ble.texas.gov and noreply@ble.texas.gov to your contacts or address book to ensure that your internet provider does not filter out e-mails we send you.

Filing Fee and Deadlinesg

Your application is subject to the filing fees and deadlines set out in the Rules.

Deadlines are strictly enforced.

Fees are not refunded or transferred.

Basic Steps to Applying

• Create a personal ATLAS account on this website.
• From your ATLAS account, complete the appropriate application.
• Upload Required Documents through your ATLAS account. See our FAQs (ATLAS) for detailed instructions. Keep originals on hand; you must mail them to us upon request.
• Electronically submit your application and pay the filing fee.
• Arrange for third parties to provide documents to us as needed.
• Update your mailing address, email address, and other personal information through the Personal Info tab in your ATLAS account.
• Amend your application as needed through your ATLAS user home.

Certificate of Good Standing (CGS) and Statement of Discipline

You must provide a certificate of good standing and a statement of discipline from every state or foreign jurisdiction where you are licensed or authorized.

Each CGS and statement of discipline must be issued within 30 days of the date that you submitted this Application.

The CGS and statement of discipline are required even if your license or authorization in a particular jurisdiction is inactive.

You must submit an English translation of any required document that is not written in English.

Proof of Citizenship, USCIS Status, or Other Compliance with Rule 2(a)(5)

If you are a United States citizen or a United States national, then you should provide the Board with an original birth certificate issued by a U.S. city, county, or state, or an original Consular Report of Birth.
If you are a naturalized United States citizen, then you should provide the Board with a legible copy of both sides of your Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship.
If you are authorized to work lawfully in the United States, then you should provide the Board with a legible copy of both sides of the USCIS document evidencing your status. A photocopy is acceptable.
If you do not reside in the United States at the time of your application, then you should provide the Board with a legible copy of a valid identification card, containing the address where you reside, issued by a governmental body in the jurisdiction in which you reside. In addition, you should execute the Statement of Residency Outside the United States, which you can find on our web page at Application Forms-Ancillary Form Information-Other.

Name on License

A license may be issued only in the name shown on a valid, government-issued identification card, except that a given name may be omitted or represented by an initial if the Applicant so requests in writing. No license may be issued using an alias, assumed name, nickname, or abbreviation of a name.

Proof of Name Change

You must provide a certified copy of an amended birth certificate or court order that changes your name. If your name changed by marriage, submit a legible copy of your marriage license.

Orders of Non-Disclosure

Pursuant to Government Code Sec. 552.142 (b), if you have criminal matters that are the subject of an order of non-disclosure you are not required to reveal those criminal matters on this form. However, a criminal matter that is the subject of an order of non-disclosure may become a character and fitness issue. Pursuant to Government Code Section 411.0765(b)(5), the Texas Board of Law Examiners is entitled to access criminal history record information that is the subject of an order of non-disclosure. Therefore, if the Board discovers a criminal matter that is the subject of an order of non-disclosure, even if you properly did not reveal that matter, the Board may ask you to provide information about that criminal matter.

Expunged and Sealed Offenses

Matters expunged pursuant to Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 55.02, or pursuant to another state’s statute with the same force and effect, need not be disclosed. While expunged or sealed offenses, arrests, tickets, or citations need not be disclosed, it is your responsibility to ensure the offense, arrest, ticket, or citation has, in fact, been expunged or sealed. It is recommended that you obtain a copy of the Court Order expunging or sealing the record in question. Failure to reveal an offense, arrest, ticket, or citation that is not in fact expunged or sealed, raises questions related to truthfulness in addition to questions regarding the offense itself. Note that orders of non-disclosure pursuant to Government Code §411.081 are not orders of expunction.

Employment History

If an employer is no longer in business, you should enter the phrase "no longer in business" on the line for the supervisor’s name, instead of listing the name of your supervisor.
If your immediate supervisor is no longer employed by the employer, you have a choice: either list the name of another supervisor still employed by the employer who will be able to respond to an inquiry from the Board staff as to your honesty, etc., or list the current address of your former supervisor, wherever that person is now, or if neither is a viable option, state "personnel department."
If you cannot locate any documentation that indicates the exact dates you were employed, list the approximate dates, but indicate that they are approximate.
If you were employed in a non-paid, intern-type position, you should list such employment situations. Board staff will elicit responses as to your honesty, etc., so the fact that you were not paid is not important.

FBI Fingerprint Card

A fingerprint check with the Federal Bureau of Investigation is mandatory. The staff of the Board of Law Examiners cannot complete the investigation of your Application without the results of your FBI fingerprint check. See Fingerprinting Information.

Court Records

You must provide legible copies of all requested court records as specified on the application.

Law School Application

If you attended law school within the last 5 years, provide a legible, signed copy of the application (including all attachments, amendments, and updates) you filed with each law school you have attended.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

You will not be issued a license to practice law in Texas until the Board is furnished with an official score report, submitted directly from the National Conference of Bar Examiners, verifying that you have passed the MPRE with a scaled score of 85 or higher. Instructions for applicants to request MPRE score services through the National Conference of Bar Examiners are located at http://www.ncbex.org/about-ncbe-exams/mpre/mpre-score-services/. Refer to Rule 5 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas.

Determining What Counts as the Active, Substantial, and Lawful Practice of Law

You must establish that you have "been actively and substantially engaged in the lawful practice of law" as your "principal business or occupation for at least five of the last seven years immediately preceding the filing of the Application." Rule 13(1)(a).

Rule 1(a)(11) describes the practice of law to include:

1. private practice as a sole practitioner or for a law firm, legal services office, legal clinic, public agency, or similar entity;
2. practice as an attorney for an individual or for a corporation, partnership, trust, or other entity with the primary duties of furnishing legal counsel and advice; drafting and interpreting legal documents and pleadings; interpreting and giving advice regarding the law; or preparing, trying, or presenting cases before courts, departments of government, or administrative agencies;
3. practice as an attorney for a local government or the state or federal government, with the same primary duties described in the preceding subsection;
4. employment as a judge, magistrate, referee, or similar official for a local government or the state or federal government, provided that the employment is open only to licensed attorneys;
5. employment as a full-time teacher of law at an approved law school;
6. any combination of the preceding categories.

The Board has adopted a Policy Statement on Practice Requirements for Rule 13, which is available at Application Forms – Ancillary Forms Information -- Other.

For work as an attorney in (or from within) any jurisdiction without being licensed as an attorney in that jurisdiction, you must provide a written statement, including citation of court rule, statute or binding authority in that jurisdiction, demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Board that the jurisdiction does not regard such activity or practice as unlawful.

Engaging in the unauthorized or unlawful practice of law could result in a negative character finding by the Board, a referral to the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, and could also result in your employing attorney being referred to the State Bar General Counsel for violation of Rule 5.05(b), Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.

Documenting the Active, Substantial, and Lawful Practice of Law

Proof of Income. You must provide proof of income you earned from the practice of law for at least 5 of the last 7 years immediately preceding the filing of your application.

• For income you earned from the practice of law as an employee (Form 1040, Line 8), upload:
  • Form 1040 and all relevant W-2s; or
  • A Wage & Income Transcript (if available).
• For income you earned from the practice of law through sole proprietorship, single-member LLC, or other small business that reports on Form 1040, Line 12, upload:
  • Form 1040 and Schedule C; or
  • A Wage & Income Transcript (if available).
• For income you earned from the practice of law through a Partnership, S Corporation, or other entity that reports on Form 1040, Line 17, upload:
  • Form 1040, Schedule E, and all relevant K-1s; or
  • A business return and all relevant K-1s; or
  • A Wage & Income Transcript (if available).
• For income you earned in another country from the practice of law, upload:
  • A copy of each income tax form and schedules required to be filed by you in that country.

Wage & Income Transcript. To request a Wage & Income Transcript, submit Form 4506T to the IRS. Under Step 6, you must select Option C – Record of Account. The IRS will only provide transcripts for the current year and returns processed during the prior 3 processing years. If a Wage & Income Transcript is not available for a particular calendar year, you must provide the other documentation set out above.

No tax returns. For any of the 5 calendar years during which you are claiming employment as an attorney but for which you have not filed a federal income tax return or other form, provide documentation of your total adjusted gross income and the portion of that income attributable to your law practice.

Authorization to Practice Law. Generally, at all times during the period of practice for which credit is sought, you must have had an active law license under which you have been, lawfully entitled to practice law in the issuing jurisdiction, unless controlling federal or foreign law provides otherwise.

For each jurisdiction in which you practiced law without holding a valid, active license issued by the jurisdiction in which the practice occurs, you must have the jurisdiction in which the practice occurs to confirm in writing to the Board that it regards such practice as lawful in order for it be considered for purposes of any practice requirement of Rule 13, Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas. Only when it is demonstrated that written confirmation of lawful practice has been sought from the jurisdiction and cannot be obtained, alternate proof of lawfulness can be provided in the form of a verifiable written statement citing court rule, statute or other authority in the jurisdiction, demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Board that the jurisdiction does not regard such activity or practice as unlawful.

Proof of authorization to practice law may be satisfied by proof that you were lawfully engaged in the practice of law as an in-house counsel in a foreign jurisdiction that requires a person to surrender the person’s license in order to practice in-house.

Job Descriptions. For each law practice employment you have had, you must provide a copy of the official job description from the employer’s personnel records, describing the position you held. If the employer indicates that no official job description exists, have the employer write to the Board, on firm or company letterhead, and provide a detailed description of the work you performed in the position and a statement as to whether the employment was full-time, and if not, providing detailed documentation of the hours you worked providing legal services in this position.

Military Lawyers. If you are seeking to count practice as a military lawyer, you must submit copies of all officer evaluation performance reports for the period of time you are claiming, in addition to your DD Form 214, as applicable, at the time you file your application.

Part-Time Practice. Demonstrated practice of at least 30 hours per week is necessary to establish active and substantial practice. If your practice experience includes part-time law practice, or time that may not be counted under the Policy Statement on Practice Requirements for Rule 13, you may be required to establish the actual number of hours per week you rendered legal services for that period of time to count toward the Rule 13 requirements.

No credit will be given for practice unless the required documentation is provided. You must submit an English translation of any required document that is not written in English.

Full Disclosure

It is imperative that you honestly and fully answer all questions, regardless of whether you believe the information requested is relevant. Your responses on your application are evaluated as evidence of your candor and honesty. An honest "yes" answer to a question on your application is not definitive as to the Board’s assessment of your present moral character and fitness, but a dishonest "no" answer is evidence of a lack of candor and honesty, which may be definitive on the character and fitness issue.

Obligation to Update

While your application is pending, you must immediately amend your application with any new or changed information.

You must keep your contact information current-make changes as needed through the Personal Info tab in your ATLAS account.