Maine Board of Bar Examiners

CONTACT
telephone: 207-623-2464
fax: 207-622-0059
address: P.O. Box 140, Augusta, ME 04332
execdir@mainebarexaminers.org

Posted: June 4, 2020

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has signed an emergency order to allow the refund of fees paid to the Maine Board of Bar Examiners for the upcoming exam under certain circumstances. Please click here for the Court Order.

Posted: June 3, 2020

ALL SEATS FOR THE SEPTEMBER 30, 2020-OCTOBER 1, 2020 MAINE BAR EXAMINATIONS ARE TAKEN

As of June 3, 2020, the Maine Board of Bar Examiners has filled all available seats for the September 30-October 1, 2020 bar exam. A wait list will be available for those seeking admission to the Maine bar until the end of the Tier 2 period, June 15, 2020.

Courtesy seat applications and fees arriving after June 3, 2020 will not be accepted and will be returned to the applicant. All exam applications and fees for the Fall exam arriving after June 15, 2020 will be returned.

Posted: May 27, 2020

This is a reminder that seating for the upcoming Fall 2020 Maine Bar Examination is limited. Please note that the seating limits may be reached before the application deadlines for each tier. The website will be updated immediately once seating limits have been reached.

Posted: May 8, 2020

UPDATE FOR SEPTEMBER 2020 MAINE BAR EXAMINATION APPLICATION PROCESS

The Maine Board of Bar Examiners has a limited number of additional seats available for its September 30,2020 – October 01, 2020 UBE administration. Anyone who received notice that s/he is on the seating list and who has already filed his/her application and fee need not reapply. The following application periods apply only to those who are not yet on the seating list and who have not yet filed the application and fee:


Tier 1: May 8, 2020 – May 22, 2020: 2018 and 2019 Graduates of Maine Law and current 3Ls of Maine Law.

Tier 2: May 23, 2020-June 15, 2020: Graduates of Maine Law prior to 2018 and graduates from any other ABA accredited law school seeking admission to practice in Maine

Tier 3: June 16, 2020-July 17, 2020: All other applicants (including courtesy seat applicants) if available.

Any applications received earlier than the posted application period to which someone belongs will be returned. Once applications close, the Board will post that information on its website and return all subsequently received applications.


It is in the Board’s discretion to determine whether applicants will be required to submit to temperature screening and wearing face masks (provided by Board) prior to entering the test site. Hand sanitizer will be available and must be used prior to entering or exiting the test site.

Posted: May 4, 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020 MAINE BAR EXAM – SEAT LIMIT REACHED

Due to COVID-19 and social distancing requirements, the Maine Board of Bar Examiners is limiting the number of seats available for the upcoming September 30/October 1, 2020 Uniform Bar Examination. As of May 4, 2020, the Maine Board of Bar Examiners reached its seating limit and is unable to accept any additional applications at this time.

For applicants who are traveling to Maine for the upcoming examination, please note that the State of Maine currently requires that all individuals traveling into Maine must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. If this requirement is still in place in September, this requirement will also apply to all applicants traveling to Maine from another state for the purpose of taking the UBE. Each applicant who arrives from another state will need to sign an affidavit stating that he/she meets the Governor’s quarantine requirement.


The Maine Board of Bar Examiners continues to monitor guidelines set forth by the Governor and the Maine Center for Disease Control regarding COVID-19. If social distancing restrictions are lifted by July 5, 2020, the Board will consider opening the application process for the fall examination to allow more individuals to sit. Please continue to check this website as any changes for the upcoming examination will be noted here.

EXECUTIVE ORDER TEMPORARILY MODIFYING CERTAIN IN-PERSON NOTARIZATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

On April 8, 2020, Governor Janet Mills issued an Executive Order
temporarily modifying certain in-person notarization and acknowledgement requirements.

Notaries outside of the State of Maine should follow their state’s requirements for remote notarization.

This Executive Order applies to all Maine Board of Bar Examiners applications.

Please click here for the Court Order.

JULY 2020 MAINE BAR EXAMINATION RESCHEDULED


On April 15, 2020, the Maine Supreme Court issued an Emergency Order stating that, due to COVID-19, the July 2020 Maine Bar Examination has been cancelled. The examination is rescheduled to Wednesday, September 30 and Thursday, October 1, 2020. The deadline to submit applications for this examination is Friday, July 17, 2020.

Please click here for the Court Order.


OFFICE CLOSURE DUE TO COVID-19


The office of the Maine Board of Bar Examiners is currently closed to the public during this time. We strongly encourage applicants to use the United States Postal Service to mail applications and documentation to our P.O. Box, since FedEx and UPS are not able to access our building for hand deliveries at this time.


Please continue to monitor this website for updated information. We thank you for your patience and understanding.


CHANGE IN MAINE UBE CUT SCORE


In accordance with Maine Bar Admissions Rule 10(c)(3), the Maine Board of Bar Examiners, at its January 2020 Board meeting, set the passing scaled score for future bar examinations at 270. This new passing score will be effective starting with the February 2020 Bar Examination. This change is prospective only.

MAINE BAR APPLICATIONS

When applying for admission to the Maine Bar through examination, Admission by Motion or UBE Score Transfer, please make sure to submit the most recent application. Older versions of applications will not be accepted.

NEW!!

The Maine Board of Bar Examiners provides the opportunity for examinees to apply for a COURTESY SEAT in order to obtain a UBE Score, but not seek admission to the Maine Bar. Please note there is a separate application for courtesy seating. Please click here for the Courtesy Seat Application.

Maine will accept concurrent applications from examinees sitting for the UBE in another jurisdiction. Applicants must still apply as if taking the Maine bar exam, but do not have to sit in Maine if sitting for an exam in another UBE jurisdiction (for the same exam administration). In order to apply concurrently with another UBE jurisdiction, please click here for the Exam Application.

Welcome to the web site of the Maine Board of Bar Examiners. The Board designed this site to facilitate access to information about the Maine bar examination. Relevant documents are available to read on-line and to download.

To begin the application process, applicants need the following documents:

If you do not wish to download the forms, you may write to us at the address below and we will mail you a copy of the Maine Bar Admission Rules, the Application Procedures, and a Request for Application Form. Unfortunately, due to our staffing limitations, the Board does not accept telephone requests for forms or copies of the Rules.

Applications are available from March to May for the July exam and from October to December for the February exam. Applicants who do not download an application form from this web site must write to the Board and request and complete a Request for Application Form to receive an application.

The information on this website is to assist persons who are potential general or comity applicants. It is of necessity abbreviated at times. If there is any conflict between any language on this website and the Maine Bar Admission Rules (“Rules”) promulgated by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, then the Rules prevail.

Files available to download are in PDF format. If your browser does not have a PDF reader, click on the icon below to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Maine State Bar Association provides services to attorneys, such as CLE seminars, and services to the public, such as the Lawyer Referral Services. To contact the Maine State Bar Association, click here.

Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar registers Maine attorneys, handles complaints about Maine attorneys, and administers the mandatory CLE requirement in Maine. To contact the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, click here.

Maine Lawyers Review publishes twice per month providing digest summaries of law decisions, legal news, and upcoming event listings of interest to lawyers. To contact the Maine Lawyers Review, click here.

This site was last updated on 1/3/19.