Degree requirement

31.8(1) No person will be permitted to take the examination for admission without proof that the person has received a J.D. or LL.B. degree from a reputable law school fully or provisionally approved by the American Bar Association at the time the applicant graduated from the school. Proof of this requirement must be by affidavit of the dean of such law school and must show that the applicant has actually and in good faith pursued the study of law resulting in the degree required by this rule. The affidavit must be made before an officer authorized to administer oaths and having a seal. 31.8(2) If an applicant is a student in such a law school and expects to receive a J.D. or LL.B. degree within 45 days from the first day of the July or February examination, the applicant may be permitted to take the examination upon the filing of an affidavit by the dean of said school stating that the dean expects the applicant to receive such a degree within this time. No certificate of admission or license to practice law can be issued until the applicant has received the required degree. If the applicant fails to obtain the degree within the 45-day period, the results of the applicant’s examination will be null and void. [Court Order July 15, 1963; February 9, 1967; December 30, 1971; February 15, 1973; July 2, 1975; November 21, 1977; June 13, 1983; June 5, 1996, effective July 1, 1996; (Prior to July 1, 1996, Court Rule 106); May 2, 1997; November 9, 2001, effective February 15, 2002; December 13, 2017, effective January 1, 2018; October 24, 2019, effective January 1, 2020; February 24, 2026, effective July 1, 2026]