Arkansas bar reciprocity lets attorneys licensed in 25 other U.S. jurisdictions become licensed in Arkansas without sitting for the Arkansas bar exam, through a process called Admission on Motion under Rule XVI of the Arkansas Rules Governing Admission to the Bar. You still have to clear eligibility requirements, pass a character and fitness review, and pay a $1,500 application fee, but if you qualify, you skip the exam entirely.
The 25 Reciprocal Jurisdictions
The Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners recognizes the following jurisdictions as reciprocal:
- Alaska
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Reciprocity turns on whether the other jurisdiction would extend the same courtesy to an Arkansas-licensed attorney. Several large states, including California, Florida, and Virginia, are not on the list. If your license is from a non-reciprocal state, Admission on Motion is not available to you, and you would need to sit for the Arkansas bar exam or use a narrower route like pro hac vice admission for a single case.1Arkansas Judiciary. List of Reciprocal and Nonreciprocal Jurisdictions
Holding The License Isn’t Enough: The Two-Year Rule
Rule XVI doesn’t just ask where you’re licensed. It asks where you’ve actually been working. The reciprocal jurisdiction must be where you maintained your principal place of business for the two years immediately before you apply. An attorney licensed in a reciprocal state who physically practiced out of an office in a non-reciprocal state during that window may not qualify.2Justia Law. In Re Rules Governing Admission to the Bar – Rule XVI
Active-duty service members get a break here: the Board may waive the two-year requirement for applicants who have been on continuous active duty for five of the preceding seven years.2Justia Law. In Re Rules Governing Admission to the Bar – Rule XVI
Who Qualifies Under Rule XVI
Five Years of Active Practice
You must have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law for five of the seven years immediately before you file. The practice must have taken place in a jurisdiction where you were admitted, or where the activity was affirmatively permitted for lawyers not admitted there.2Justia Law. In Re Rules Governing Admission to the Bar – Rule XVI
Active practice includes representing clients in private practice, government or military lawyering, teaching at an ABA-accredited law school, serving as a judge in a court of record, judicial clerking, and in-house corporate counsel work. Two carve-outs: judicial clerk work and corporate counsel work performed inside Arkansas before you’re admitted to the Arkansas bar do not count toward the five years. Any work that amounted to unauthorized practice where it occurred is excluded outright.2Justia Law. In Re Rules Governing Admission to the Bar – Rule XVI
Law Degree and MPRE
You need a J.D. from a school that held ABA accreditation when you graduated, and you need a passing MPRE score. The score threshold is set by the Arkansas Supreme Court, and applicants should confirm the current number with the Board of Law Examiners when they apply.
No Recent Arkansas Exam Failure
If you failed the Arkansas bar exam within the five years before filing, you can’t use Admission on Motion. The rule closes off the motion process as a workaround after an unsuccessful exam.2Justia Law. In Re Rules Governing Admission to the Bar – Rule XVI
How to Apply
Your package goes to the Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners with a non-refundable $1,500 fee. The main pieces are the application forms from the Board, a character and fitness report from the National Conference of Bar Examiners, certificates of good standing from every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a license, and official verification of your MPRE score.
Start the NCBE investigation early. It drives the overall timeline, which commonly runs several months while the Board verifies credentials and reviews the character and fitness findings. Some applicants are called in for a personal interview to address questions about practice history or background. Make sure the details on your forms match what shows up in the background reports; discrepancies slow things down, and incomplete packages are returned.
After the Board Approves You
When the Board is satisfied, it certifies your eligibility and recommends admission to the Arkansas Supreme Court. From that point you have one year to complete the Petition and Oath and file it with the Clerk of the Supreme Court along with the required licensing fees. If you miss that one-year window, the application dies and you start over, including another $1,500 fee.2Justia Law. In Re Rules Governing Admission to the Bar – Rule XVI
If You Don’t Qualify for Admission on Motion
Pro Hac Vice for a Single Case
Attorneys from non-reciprocal states, or anyone who only needs to handle one Arkansas matter, can appear in an Arkansas court under Rule XIV. The fee is $200 per case paid to the Bar of Arkansas, and a local Arkansas attorney must sponsor your appearance. Pro hac vice is case-by-case and cannot be used to build a general Arkansas practice.3Arkansas Judiciary. Rule XIV Practice by Comity Pro Hac Vice Appearance Information and Payment Form
Military Spouse Temporary Admission
Rule XVII, adopted in 2019, lets attorney spouses of active-duty service members stationed in Arkansas practice under a temporary admission that lasts 24 months and can be renewed. You must be admitted in at least one other U.S. jurisdiction, meet the same educational standards as regular applicants, have no pending disciplinary matters, and not have failed the Arkansas bar exam within the past five years. The application requires your marriage or civil union certificate and your spouse’s orders reflecting a permanent change of station to an Arkansas installation.4Justia Law. In Re Rules Governing Admission to the Bar – Rule XVII Military Spouse Temporary Admission
The temporary admission terminates automatically 30 days after your spouse separates from the military, retires, or receives orders moving to another state. You also have to tell every client, before representation begins, that you’re practicing under the military spouse exception.4Justia Law. In Re Rules Governing Admission to the Bar – Rule XVII Military Spouse Temporary Admission