Reciprocal Admission

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court approved rules allowing reciprocal admission with New Hampshire effective January 1, 2005, and with Vermont, effective September 5, 2006. The text of the reciprocal admission rule may be found at Maine Bar Admission Rules (PDF, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader). Attorneys seeking reciprocal admission should contact the Maine Board of Bar Examiners for an application.

Effective January 1, 2012, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court expanded the reciprocal process to permit admission by motion, without taking a bar exam, to any attorney admitted to practice law and in good standing in any state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia, if the jurisdiction where the attorney is admitted to practice has a reciprocity rule that allows Maine attorneys to be admitted to practice on motion and without taking a bar exam under terms similar to those in Rule 11A. The text of the reciprocal admission rule may be found at Maine Bar Admission Rules.

Attorneys seeking reciprocal admission must complete at least 15 hours (see CLE Policy #14) of continuing legal education in Maine practice and procedure courses approved by the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, within the year immediately preceding the date upon which the motion is filed. Further, the individual must be certified by the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar as having satisfied this requirement. The course approval and certification requirements are referred to the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, as that entity is the agency responsible for management of Maine's continuing legal education program.

If you have questions regarding the required 15 hours of continuing legal education in Maine Practice and procedure, please contact the CLE Coordinator, at 207-623-1121.