Everything You Need to Know About the Alaska Bar Exam

So you have completed your law school education and now you are ready to take your final steps towards becoming an Alaska lawyer. It is now time to face the daunting task of taking the Alaska Bar Exam. With an overall passing rate of 68% you have a fair chance of passing this professional obstacle if you prepare for it. There are many things that you will need to know before you sit for the Alaska Bar Exam including: application procedures, testing format, and what will be covered on the exam. This article will provide you with this information and hopefully arm you with the knowledge needed to prepare for the great challenge of sitting for the Alaska Bar Exam.

Application Procedure

Alaska Bar Association
P.O. Box 100279
Anchorage, Alaska 99510-0279
(907) 272-7469
www.alaskabar.org

To sit for the Alaska Bar you need to (1) have graduated with a Juris Doctorate from an American Bar Association approved law school, (2) you must take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam and pass with a score of at least 80, and (3) you must take a mandatory ethics course. Information about this mandatory ethics course can be found at www.alaskabar.org/INDEX.CFM?ID=4991&makeback=true . It is basically just a one hour lecture that can be viewed either by attending one of four annual video seminars in Anchorage, or by requesting a video of the seminar and returning a signed affidavit that states that you viewed the tape.

Alaska currently does have a reciprocity program. You can therefore be admitted to the Alaskan Bar if you (1) have passed the MPRE, (2) are licensed to practice law in another U.S. state or D.C., and (3) have actively practiced law in that state for five of the preceding seven years.

For more information about taking the MPRE you can write to the address below for a testing application packet.

National Conference of Bar Examiners
C/O MPRE
P.O. Box 4001
Iowa City, Iowa 52243