Connecticut Bar Examining Committee

MSL General Information

About Military Spouse Temporary Licensing

An attorney licensed in another state or territory of the U.S. or in the District of Columbia who is the spouse of an active duty service member, and that service member is or will be stationed in Connecticut due to military orders, may be temporarily admitted to the practice of law in Connecticut without taking the bar examination, pursuant to CT Practice Book § 2-13A.

Applicants for Military Spouse Temporary Licensing must satisfy all requirements for admission within one year after the date of properly submitting an application. See Article IX of the CBEC Regulations. Military spouse applications and supporting documentation will be processed on an expedited basis when received.

Filing Fee

The non-refundable fee for a Military Spouse Temporary License application is $750.00.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for military spouse temporary licensing, an applicant must meet all of the following:

• is the spouse of an active duty service member of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard and that service member is or will be stationed in Connecticut due to military orders;
• is licensed to practice law before the highest court in at least one state or territory of the US or in the District of Columbia;
• is currently an active member in good standing in every jurisdiction to which the applicant has been admitted to practice, or has resigned or become inactive or had a license administratively suspended or revoked while in good standing from every jurisdiction without any pending disciplinary actions;
• is not currently subject to lawyer discipline or the subject of a pending disciplinary matter in any other jurisdiction;
• meets the educational qualifications required to take the bar examination in Connecticut (See CT Practice Book § 2-8);
• possesses the good moral character and fitness to practice law required of all applicants for admission in Connecticut;
• has passed an examination in professional responsibility or has completed a course in professional responsibility in accordance with the regulation of the bar examining committee (See Article IV of the CBEC Regulations);
• is or will be physically residing in Connecticut due to the service member’s military orders;
• has not failed the Connecticut bar examination within the past five years;
• has not had an application for admission to the Connecticut bar or the bar of any state, the District of Columbia or US territory denied on character and fitness grounds; and
• has not failed to achieve the Connecticut scaled score on the Uniform Bar Examination administered within any jurisdiction within the past five years.

Along with the application and supporting documentation, an applicant must submit:

• a copy of the applicant’s Military Spouse Dependent Identification;
• documentation evidencing a spousal relationship with the service member; and
• a copy of the service member’s military orders to a military installation in Connecticut or a letter from the service member’s command verifying that the applicant is or will be physically residing in Connecticut due to the service member’s military orders.

Duration and Renewal

A temporary license under this rule will be valid for three (3) years provided that the temporary attorney remains a spouse of the service member and resides in Connecticut due to military orders, or continues to reside in Connecticut due to the service member’s immediately subsequent assignment specifying that dependents are not authorized to accompany the service member.

The temporary license may be renewed for one additional two year period. A renewal application must be submitted with the $300 filing fee and all other documentation required by the bar examining committee, including a copy of the service member’s military orders. Such renewal application shall be filed not less than thirty (30) days before the expiration of the original three year period.

A temporarily licensed attorney who wishes to become a permanent member of the bar of Connecticut may apply for admission by examination or for admission without examination for the standard application fee minus the application fee paid to the committee for the application for temporary license, not including any fees for renewal. See § 2-13A(c)(3).

Termination

A temporary license shall terminate, and an attorney shall cease the practice of law in Connecticut pursuant to that admission, unless otherwise authorized by these rules, thirty (30) days after any of the following events:

• the service member’s separation or retirement from military service;
• the service member’s permanent relocation to another jurisdiction, unless the service member’s immediately subsequent assignment specifies that the dependents are not authorized to accompany the service member, in which case the temporary attorney may continue to practice law in Connecticut as provided in this rule until the service member departs Connecticut for a permanent change of station where the presence of dependents is authorized;
• the attorney’s permanent relocation outside of the state of Connecticut for reasons other than the service member’s relocation;
• upon the termination of the temporary attorney’s spousal relationship to the service member;
• the attorney’s failure to meet the annual licensing requirements for an active member of the bar of Connecticut;
• the attorney’s request;
• the attorney’s admission to practice law in Connecticut by examination or without examination;
• the attorney’s denial of admission to the practice of law in Connecticut; or
• the death of the service member.

Notice of one of the events set forth above must be filed with the bar examining committee by the temporarily admitted attorney within thirty (30) days of such event. Notice of death of the service member must be filed with the bar examining committee by the temporarily admitted attorney within thirty (30) days of the event, and the attorney shall cease the practice of law within one year of the event. Failure to provide such notice by the temporarily admitted attorney shall be a basis for discipline pursuant to the Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys.

At least sixty (60) days before termination of the temporary admission, or as soon as possible under the circumstances, the attorney shall:

• file in each matter pending before any court, tribunal, agency or commission a notice that the attorney will no longer be involved in the case; and
• provide written notice to all clients receiving representation from the attorney that the attorney will no longer represent them.

Responsibilities and Obligations

An attorney temporarily admitted under this section shall be subject to all responsibilities and obligations of active members of the Connecticut bar, and shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts and agencies of Connecticut, and shall be subject to the laws and rules of Connecticut governing the conduct and discipline of attorneys to the same extent as an active member of the Connecticut bar. The attorney shall maintain participation in a mentoring program provided by a state or local bar association in the state of Connecticut. See § 2-13A(e).