Arkansas bar reciprocity relies upon Rule XVI This regulation, known as Admission on Motion, indicates how attorneys that are licensed in other states can be licensed in the state of Arkansas. To be admitted to practice in Arkansas attorneys in other states must:
- Have admitted via bar exam in another jurisdiction allowing similar admission standards to that of Arkansas
- Or have engaged in active legal practice in any of the states or territories of the United States for a minimum of 5 years out of 7 years.
Arkansas Bar Reciprocity: Admission on Motion
Attorneys must be admitted in another jurisdiction, known as the admission on motion process, before they can be considered a licensed Arkansas attorney. Arkansas Bar Reciprocity admission is based upon the receipt of a complete bar application.
Reciprocal Jurisdictions
Arkansas’s Bar Reciprocity List establishes the following four categories for Arkansas bar reciprocity:
(1) Recognized Reciprocal Jurisdictions
(2) Jurisdictions Determined Not to be Reciprocal
(3) States For Which Reciprocal Status Has Not Been Determined
(4) Jurisdictions That Do Not Allow Admission On Motion
The following list are state where an attorney may be admitted on motion in Arkansas:
- Alaska
- Colorado
- District of Columbia Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Washington
- Wisconsin
JURISDICTIONS DETERMINED TO NOT BE RECIPROCAL
Arkansas admission on motion rule to decline recognition of them as “reciprocal” jurisdictions.
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Indiana
- Michigan
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
- West Virginia
JURISDICTIONS FOR WHICH RECIPROCAL STATUS HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED
- Connecticut
- Maine
- New Jersey
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Wyoming
No reciprocal admission from the following states:
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Montana
- Nevada
- South Carolina
- Guam
- Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Puerto Rico
- Virgin Islands
Additional Arkansas Reciprocity Requirements
- Law Degree from a ABA law school
- Good standing in all other jurisdictions where admitted before bar exam
- No failure of the bar exam within 5 years of a previous application for admission
- Passage of the MPRE
- Active practice of law in at least one star for 5 of 7 years (active license and at least 1,000 hours per year in law practice and made at least 50% of their income not from an investment from the practice.)
- In-house counsels (can not be used for duration requirement)
- Legal Professors
- Judicial Law Clerks
- Judges
- JAG Attorneys