Regular Admissions

The Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands has the exclusive authority to admit attorneys to practice law before the Virgin Islands Bar. The Committee of Bar Examiners ("the Committee") and the Office of Bar Admissions are administrative arms of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands. The inherent judicial functions of both offices are to assist the Supreme Court in the administration of the Virgin Islands Bar Examination, which includes character and fitness investigations; ascertaining the qualifications of applicants for admission to the Virgin Islands Bar and moving for the admission of those applicants who meet those requirements as established by the Supreme Court Rule 204.

Accordingly, please note that the information on this site is provided as a service to those interested in admission in the Virgin Islands. It remains the responsibility of those desiring to practice law in the Virgin Islands to ensure that prior to their admission, they familiarize themselves with all the rules of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands, including but not limited to the rules which govern admissions and the rules governing their professional responsibility and discipline. To begin the application process, please contact the Office of Bar Admissions.

EXAMINATION DATES FOR 2018

Please note: The schedule of testing dates for the Virgin Islands Bar Examination has been modified in accordance with VISCR 204(e), as amended.

The Uniform Bar Examination will be administered on the upcoming test dates.

Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) 
The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) is developed by the National Conference of Bar Examination (NCBE) and consists of six 30-minute questions. The purpose of the MEE is to test the examinee's ability to (1) identify legal issues raised by a hypothetical factual situation; (2) separate material which is relevant from that which is not; (3) present a reasoned analysis of the relevant issues in a clear, concise, and well-organized composition; and (4) demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental legal principles relevant to the probable solution of the issues raised by the factual situation.

Multistate Performance Test (MPT) 
The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) is developed by the National Conference of Bar Examination (NCBE) and consists of two 90-minute items. The MPT is designed to test an examinee's ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation and complete a task that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish. The MPT is not a test of substantive knowledge. Rather, it is designed to evaluate certain fundamental skills lawyers are expected to demonstrate regardless of the area of law in which the skills arise.

Adoption of Virgin Islands Law Component (VILC)

The Virgin Islands Law Course (VILC) will become effective on January 1, 2018 of all applicants who have passed the bar examination and applicants who have been admitted on motion or admitted pursuant to a transferred UBE score to a Virgin Islands Law Component on important and unique aspects of Virgin Islands law that are not tested on the Virgin Islands Bar Examination.

The VILC will be developed by the Committee of Bar Examiners and may be assessed by a multiple-choice or other examination component.

To view the Promulgation Order adopting the VILC requirement, please click here.

Committee of Bar Examiners

The Committee of Bar Examiners consists of no less than five (5) members of the Virgin Islands Bar who are in good standing. All members are appointed by the Chief Justice and serve for varied terms.

The Supreme Court has adopted the American Bar Association's (ABA's) Model Immunity Rule entitled "Civil Immunity of Board of Law Examiners, its members, employees and agents, and entities providing information regarding an application to the board," which provides as follows:

• [The Committee of Bar Examiners], and its members, employees, and agents are immune from all civil liability for conduct and communications occurring in the performance of their official duties relating to the examination, character and fitness qualification, and licensing of persons seeking to be admitted to the practice of law.




• Records, statements of opinion and other information regarding an applicant for admission to the Bar communicated by entity including any person, firm or institution, without malice, to the [Committee of Bar Examiners], or its members, employees or agents are privileged, and civil suits predicated thereon may not be instituted.

Application for Admission

An Application for Admissions maybe downloaded from the forms download page. All applicants are also required to complete the National Conference of Bar Examiners Request for a Character and Fitness Report. That form is available for download from the National Conference of Bar Examiner's website. All applicants are required to read the Virgin Islands Bar Application Handbook PRIOR to completing the Application for Admissions to the Virgin Islands Bar. The handbook may be downloaded from under the Forms Download Page on the Court's website. To view the Schedule of Fees for taking the bar exam please click here.

Criteria for Application

Prior to being allowed to sit for the bar exam, all individuals who desire to complete an application for regular admission to the Virgin Islands Bar must allege and prove, in accordance with Supreme Court Rule 204(d), the following:

• The applicant is at least twenty-one years of age.




• The applicant is a citizen of the United States, or resident non-United States citizens must be legal immigrants, i.e., immigrants who have lawfully been admitted for permanent residence in the United States.




• The applicant is a person of good moral character who has not been disbarred, suspended or sanctioned, or who has been reinstated or exonerated, and who is not under pending disciplinary action, by any state, district, territorial, federal or foreign jurisdiction.




• The applicant, who is seeking admission to the Virgin Islands Bar and is previously admitted to the bar of any other jurisdiction, is a current member in good standing of that jurisdiction.




• The applicant is a graduate of an accredited law school approved by the American Bar Association.

Please note that pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 204(c)(6), no application to the Virgin Islands Bar may be filed by anyone who has been disbarred, suspended or sanctioned, without reinstatement or exoneration, or who is under pending disciplinary action by the Bar of any State, District or Territory of the United States or any foreign jurisdiction, or any Federal Court.

Composition of the Virgin Islands Bar Exam

Each applicant is required to pass the following examinations:

• Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), which consists of six 30-minute questions. The purpose of the MEE is to test the examinee's ability to (1) identify legal issues raised by a hypothetical factual situation; (2) separate material which is relevant from that which is not; (3) present a reasoned analysis of the relevant issues in a clear, concise, and well-organized composition; and (4) demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental legal principles relevant to the probable solution of the issues raised by the factual situation.




• Multistate Performance Test (MPT), which consists of two 90-minute items. The MPT is designed to test an examinee's ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation and complete a task that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish. The MPT is not a test of substantive knowledge. Rather, it is designed to evaluate certain fundamental skills Multi-State Bar Examinations (MBE), which is a six-hour, two-hundred question multiple-choice examination covering contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law, evidence, and real property




• Multi-State Bar Examinations (MBE), which is a six-hour, two-hundred question multiple-choice examination covering contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law, evidence, and real property




• Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), which is a fifty question, two-hour, multiple-choice examination designed to measure the examinee's knowledge and understanding of established standards related to a lawyer's professional conduct




• Virgin Islands Law Component (VILC), which is a course on important and unique aspects of Virgin Islands law that are not tested on the Virgin Islands Bar Examination. The VILC may be assessed by a multiple-choice or other examination component.




• A Character Examination and Personal Interview

*All applications and fees are to be received in the Office of Bar Admissions on or before the deadline for filing.