INSTRUCTIONS FOR ELECTRONICALLY FILING
AN APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO THE STATE BAR OF
These instructions apply to both On Motion and Exam applicants who wish
to electronically file an application for admission to practice law in
The electronic application is designed for individuals who are computer proficient. The Colorado Board of Law Examiners is unable to provide technical support for persons who are not.
Once you have created an application account, follow all prompts to complete and review your application. Prior to the electronic submission of your application, you should print a copy for your files.
Timely filing of your
application is accomplished ONLY if all application fees and supplemental
documentation (hereinafter referred to as the Filing Packet), are
postmarked and/or received by the Board no later than the applicable filing
deadline. Electronic submission of your application alone does not
constitute timely filing. Failure to
timely file the Filing Packet will result in the denial
of your application even though an application may have been submitted
electronically and received by the Board.
The
online application is divided into five sections:
Section I – Identifying Information
Section II – General History
Section III – Personal History
Section IV – Supplementary Forms and Informational Materials (not
subject to timely filing requirements)
Section V – Filing Packet (Forms required for timely filing)
A. General Instructions for Completing
Sections I, II and III:
1. Absolute and complete candor is required when
answering the questions in these sections.
Failure to be completely candid may result in the denial of your
application for admission to practice law in
2. Your application is confidential. Therefore, if you wish the Board to
communicate with someone other than yourself concerning questions which might
arise during the course of the background investigation or concerning the
current status of your application, you must submit a letter naming the
individual with whom we may communicate.
3. Moral Character. Provided you are determined eligible to sit
for the exam, a background investigation will be initiated. You may or may not be contacted for
additional information relative to the Board’s character and fitness
investigation, at any phase of the application process. Should you receive such an inquiry, your
prompt written response is required. In accordance with Rule
201.6(1), C.R.C.P. “Applicants must demonstrate that they are mentally stable
and morally and ethically qualified for admission.” Persons whose background investigations are
not completed at the time the examination results are released because of
failure to provide requested information and/or documentation will not be
certified to take the oath of admission pursuant to Rule 201.14, C.R.C.P.
4. As part of the background
investigation the Board will obtain a credit report for every applicant. A credit report fee has been added to the
application fee for the cost of this report. If you have never resided
in or established credit in the
5. To avoid delays in the completion of the
investigation be certain to provide all information requested in the
application, including:
a. Complete and detailed accounts of all
circumstances where explanations are required, including dates, location and
final outcome. All explanations must be
substantiated by documentation from any applicable agency(ies). If not readily available, substantiating
documentation may be submitted at a later time.
b. Supplementary
documents, such as divorce decrees, driving records, arrest reports, etc. that
are not available at the time the application is filed may be submitted under
separate cover and will not be subject to late filing fees. However, supplementary documentation
submitted after the filing deadline may result in a delay of admission if such
documentation is required for completion of the background investigation. All
supplementary documentation submitted must include your name and application number on all supplementary documents
submitted under separate cover to ensure inclusion to your file.
c. Persons who file late applications will be given the lowest priority for completion of the background investigation and certification for admission. Therefore, it is to your benefit to file as early as possible.
d. The background investigation is independent
of successfully completing the Colorado Bar Examination. For those individuals who are successful on
the bar examination, but whose background investigations are not complete at
the time the results are announced, the bar result notice will reflect a hold
on admission pending completion of the investigation. The Board’s staff is not
at liberty to discuss the status of an investigation; nor will applicants be
advised of satisfactory compliance with the character and fitness requirement
of Rule 201.6, C.R.C.P. Applicants will
be contacted, however, if explanations are inadequate, additional details are
needed, or the Bar Committee for the Board of Law Examiners requests your
appearance before an Inquiry Panel to discuss matters relative to your
character and fitness for admission.
B. Instructions for Completing Section IV:
1. The
supplemental forms contained in Section IV are organized under two headings,
“All Applicants” and “Exam Applicants.”
Included under “All Applicants” are the Explanation Page, Record of
Civil Actions, and Application Amendment Form. These forms are identified with
the extension .rtf. Save these forms to
your system hard drive, complete them using your word processor and submit the
hard copy to the Board of Law Examiners.
They may be filed after any applicable filing deadlines.
2. Included
under “Exam Applicants” is the Certificate of Law School Graduation. This form is designated with the extension
PDF. Print a hard copy of this form and
submit it to your law school dean or registrar for completion. You may request the law school send the
completed form directly to the Board of Law Examiners or you may request they
return the completed form to you for submission. The completed form must be on file with the
Board of Law Examiners in order to receive your admission badges to the bar
examination.
3. Informational
materials for all applicants include the “Rules Governing Admission to the Bar
of the State of
C. Instructions
for Completing Section V:
1. The forms contained in Section V are
organized under three headings: “All
Applicants,” “Exam Applicants” and “On Motion Applicants.” Exam applicants must complete applicable
forms and submit them with all fees no later than the applicable filing
deadline. Forms and/or fees submitted
after the deadline will not be accepted as timely filed. Failure to timely submit these completed
forms to the Board of Law Examiners may result in the loss of any application
data submitted electronically.
2. All applicants must complete the “Statement
of Verification” and “Authorization and Release” Forms. These forms are designated with the extension
PDF. They should be printed in hard copy
and completed in pen and ink.
3. Exam applicants must complete the “Exam Cover Page” and “Ethnic Survey” in addition to the forms referenced under “All Applicants.” The “Test Accommodations Request Forms” need only be completed if you have a disability that necessitates accommodation for the bar examination. These forms are designated with the extension PDF and should be printed in hard copy for completion in pen and ink. Electronically submitted application data will not be deemed timely filed unless these completed forms are submitted to the Board of Law Examiners, no later than the applicable filing deadline.
4. On Motion Applicants must complete the “On Motion Cover Page” and “Law Practice Affidavit” in addition to the forms referenced under “All Applicants.” These forms are designated with the extension PDF. They should be printed in hard copy and completed in pen and ink. Addendum to Question 8 need only be completed if the legal employment listed in Question 8 is not the solo or private (law firm) practice of law. This form is designated with the extension .rtf. It may be saved to your system hard drive and completed using your word processing software. This form must be typewritten.