Filing a Petition for Admission to the Rhode Island Bar

(a) Filing Deadlines for Admission on Examination. Persons seeking admission under Rule 1 shall file a petition for admission no later than May 1 of the year in which they intend to take a July examination and no later than December 1 next preceding the year in which they intend to take the February examination. Appli- cants seeking admission under Rule 1A shall file a petition for admission no later than February 1 for the July examination and no later than September 1 of the next preceding year in which they intend to take the February examination. (b) Confidentiality. Petitions for admission and any documentary material sub- mitted in connection with the petitions shall be maintained by the Clerk of the Su- preme Court and shall not be available to the public except by order of the Court and upon notice to the petitioner. Members of the Board of Bar Examiners and Com- mittee on Character and Fitness may access the petitions and documentary material submitted in connection with the petitions, as needed, in order to carry out their Page 6 of 21 Revised January 6, 2026 duties under these rules. Upon written request, the Clerk of the Supreme Court shall make available to the public the following information about an applicant as in- cluded in a petition filed pursuant to these rules: Name, address, year of birth, law schools attended, and the month and year of the examinations taken by the applicant in this or any other jurisdiction. Any person who seeks admission to practice law in the State of Rhode Island shall agree to waive all rights of privacy with reference to any and all information and documentary materials filed or secured in connection with the applicant’s peti- tion. The applicant shall also agree that any such documentary material, including the petition, shall automatically be entered into evidence, without objection, by the Board of Bar Examiners and the Committee on Character and Fitness in any pro- ceeding held pursuant to these rules. All hearings and matters referred to the Board and the Committee for investiga- tion shall be confidential. No member of the Board or the Committee at any time, either while a member of the Board or the Committee or thereafter, shall disclose any matter in any file except at the request of the Court, as permitted by an authori- zation and release executed by the applicant, or unless legally required to do so. All meeting agendas and minutes and records circulated to members of the Board and the Committee shall be kept confidential. (c) The petition of each applicant shall be maintained by this Court for a period of no less than ten (10) years from the date of filing the petition and thereafter de- stroyed in accordance with Supreme Court retention policies. (d) Subject to any fees set by the Court, applicants may obtain copies of the peti- tion filed with the Clerk of the Supreme Court, of transcripts from stenographically recorded hearings held before the Board and the Committee, and of any materials supplied by third parties which have been the subject of a hearing before the Board or the Committee. Additional materials shall not be available to the applicant except by order of the Court. Note. The Rules of Practice of the Board of Bar Examiners Governing Admission on Examination and by Transfer of a Uniform Bar Examination Score are available on the Rhode Island Supreme Court website or by contacting the Bar Administrator at the Rhode Island Supreme Court Clerk’s Office, Licht Judicial Complex, 250 Benefit Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, [email protected].