A Texas lawyer can practice in other states, but only after securing permission from each state where the work takes place. Depending on how recent your bar exam was, how long you have practiced, and what kind of matter you want to handle, that permission may come through transferring a Uniform Bar Exam score, applying for admission on motion without a new exam, obtaining pro hac vice approval for a single case, or relying on one of several narrower safe harbors. Your Texas license alone authorizes practice in Texas and nowhere else.
Transferring a Uniform Bar Exam Score
If you sat for the Texas bar in February 2021 or later, you took the Uniform Bar Exam, and your score can be transferred to another UBE jurisdiction without taking a second exam.1Texas Board of Law Examiners. Uniform Bar Exam FAQs
Texas uses a minimum passing score of 270.2Texas Board of Law Examiners. Frequently Asked Questions That is at or above the cutoff in every current UBE jurisdiction, where minimums range from 260 in states like Alabama, Missouri, and Oklahoma to 270 in states like Colorado, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.3National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Minimum Scores A Texas pass clears every threshold on the board.
Watch the clock. Each state sets its own window for how long a UBE score stays transferable, generally two to five years from the exam date. The score can expire for transfer purposes while your Texas license remains valid. You still complete the receiving state’s application, pay its fees, and clear its character and fitness review.
Admission on Motion Without an Exam
Experienced Texas attorneys who did not take the UBE, or whose transferable window has closed, can often be admitted elsewhere through admission on motion. The receiving state admits you based on your years of practice rather than a new exam. It is sometimes called reciprocity, though not every state conditions its offer on whether Texas returns the favor.
Typical requirements include:
- Three to five years of active, full-time practice within a recent window. Virginia requires three of the last five years. The District of Columbia requires three years of good standing immediately before applying.4Virginia Board of Bar Examiners. Minimum Threshold Requirements for Admission Without Examination5District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Rule 46(e)(3)(A) – Motion by 3-Year Provision
- Active good standing with the State Bar of Texas and no pending discipline anywhere.4Virginia Board of Bar Examiners. Minimum Threshold Requirements for Admission Without Examination
- A J.D. from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of your graduation.
- A fresh character and fitness investigation by the new state, even though Texas already cleared you.5District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Rule 46(e)(3)(A) – Motion by 3-Year Provision
Not every state offers this path. Some require every applicant to sit for their bar exam no matter how experienced. Application fees typically run several hundred dollars.
Pro Hac Vice for a Single Case
When your work in another state is limited to one specific lawsuit, you can usually apply for temporary permission called pro hac vice, Latin for “for this one occasion.” It is a common tool when a client has an existing relationship with their Texas lawyer or the matter calls for particular expertise.
You file a motion with the court where the case is pending. Almost everywhere, you must associate with a locally licensed attorney who serves as local counsel and actively participates. Expect to produce a certificate of good standing from the State Bar of Texas and pay an application fee that varies by state. The judge decides whether to grant the motion, and the approval covers only that case.
Many states cap how many times an out-of-state attorney can appear pro hac vice within a given year. Repeated applications in the same state are a signal that you need full admission there.
Temporary Legal Work Outside the Courtroom
Not all cross-border work involves a courthouse. ABA Model Rule 5.5(c), which most states have adopted in some form, allows a lawyer licensed in one state to provide legal services on a temporary basis in another when the work:6American Bar Association. Model Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 5.5 – Unauthorized Practice of Law; Multijurisdictional Practice of Law
- Is done in association with a locally admitted lawyer who actively participates;
- Relates to a pending or potential arbitration, mediation, or other alternative dispute resolution proceeding that arises from the attorney’s Texas practice; or
- Otherwise arises out of or is reasonably related to the attorney’s Texas practice.
That last category is broad and intentionally vague, and it is where much transactional practice lives. A Texas attorney negotiating a contract or closing a deal that ties back to a Texas-based practice can often do that work in another state under this framework. The operative word is temporary. Opening a permanent office in another state and regularly advising clients there on that state’s law crosses into unauthorized practice no matter how the matter connects back to Texas.
Federal Courts
Federal courts run their own admission systems, separate from state licensing. Admission to a federal district court in Texas does not travel to a federal court in another state. Each of the 94 federal judicial districts maintains its own bar and its own rules.7United States Courts. About U.S. District Courts
Admission to another district is generally simpler than getting a state license. You typically need membership in good standing of at least one state bar, an application, and a fee that ranges from about $150 to over $330 depending on the district.8Federal Judicial Center. Fees for Admission to Federal Court Bars Some districts require you to hold a license in the state where the court sits; others accept any state bar. Check the local rules.
Bankruptcy practice usually depends on first being admitted to the district court’s bar in that district, and the bankruptcy admission itself often carries no additional fee. The U.S. Tax Court is more open: it admits attorneys in good standing with any state bar, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory, with no separate exam, upon application, a current certificate of good standing, and a $50 fee.9United States Tax Court. Guidance for Practitioners
In-House Counsel Working Across State Lines
If you work as in-house counsel for an employer based in another state, ABA Model Rule 5.5(d) provides a safe harbor allowing you to serve that employer in a state where you are not licensed, as long as the work does not require pro hac vice admission in a local court.6American Bar Association. Model Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 5.5 – Unauthorized Practice of Law; Multijurisdictional Practice of Law
More than 30 states have added their own condition on top: in-house counsel relying on the safe harbor must register with the local bar or hold a limited license or certification.10American Bar Association. Ethics Corner – Unauthorized Practice of Law and the Transplanted In-House Counsel Fees vary. Failing to register where required exposes you to the same unauthorized-practice risk as any other unlicensed attorney, even if the underlying work would otherwise fit the safe harbor.
Military Spouse Relocation
Military spouses who hold an active Texas law license and are relocating under military orders have a streamlined path. As of December 23, 2024, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act explicitly covers law licenses within its professional license portability provision.11U.S. Department of Justice. 2025 Update – Portability of Professional Licenses
You must be moving because of military orders to a state other than the one that issued the license, and the license must be active and in good standing with no pending investigations or discipline. The application to the new state includes proof of military orders, a notarized affidavit confirming you understand and will comply with that state’s licensing requirements, and a copy of your marriage certificate.11U.S. Department of Justice. 2025 Update – Portability of Professional Licenses The new state then treats your existing license as valid, with no local bar exam and no admission on motion process.
What Happens If You Skip These Steps
Practicing law in a state where you are not authorized is the unauthorized practice of law, and the consequences fall in three places. On the criminal side, it is a misdemeanor in most states, with repeat offenses or aggravating facts potentially rising to a felony. Professionally, your home-state bar can discipline you for violating conduct rules even without a criminal charge, with outcomes ranging from private reprimand to suspension or disbarment, and the record follows you to every future application. For your clients, work product from an unlicensed attorney can be challenged, drafted contracts may face enforceability questions, filings can be stricken, and any resulting harm opens you to malpractice exposure. The authorized routes above exist precisely so none of this has to happen.