As part of the process of seeking a certificate for admission to the bar from the Board of Law Examiners, applicants must complete an application and provide background information for the purpose of enabling the board staff to conduct a character and fitness investigation and determination.
The Board staff reviews the applications and may use other means of investigation to determine the fitness and qualifications of the applicant. For bar exam applications, the board staff begins a preliminary investigation of the application before the bar examination. However, the full investigation and determination of character and fitness is made only after the successful completion of the bar examination. For other applicant types, the board staff begins the investigation upon acceptance of the online application. The character and fitness determination process can take anywhere from three weeks to more than one year depending on the nature of the investigation, the issues involved, response to requests for additional information, cooperation from outside sources, etc.