Admission to the practice of law in Wisconsin

students taking an examThe Supreme Court requires lawyers to be admitted to the Supreme Court and join the State Bar of Wisconsin as a condition of practicing law in the state.

Applicants must electronically file an application for admission using the online admissions website (see link to admissions site beneath the filings instructions). You may wish to bookmark the site to more easily check the status of your application once it has been submitted. (See the sample application for a preview of the information you will be asked to provide.) If you do not have an existing eCourts account, you will need to create one in order to file an online application. For deadline dates, fees, and detailed information about the application process, please review the Information and Filing Instructions before filing an application for admission.

An application is considered "filed" when all three of the following items have been received by the Board of Bar Examiners:

  • Application
  • Authorization and Release
  • Filing fee

There are three ways to apply:

Diploma privilege

Under diploma privilege, graduates of the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School are admitted to the practice of law by complying with the terms of SCR 40.03 —their school certifies their legal competence and the Board of Bar Examiners certifies their character and fitness for the practice of law.

The Wisconsin Bar Application

UBE Applicants

Beginning in July of 2026, Wisconsin will administer the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). The application for the July 2026 examination will be available on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Before being admitted to the practice of law in Wisconsin by UBE examination, applicants must also successfully complete 21 hours of the Wisconsin law and practice educational component. The Wisconsin law and practice educational component must be completed no later than 12 months after receiving notification of having passed the UBE in Wisconsin.

UBE Transfer Score Applicants

Beginning in July of 2026, applicants may be eligible for admission to the practice of law in Wisconsin provided they have received a scaled score of 260 or higher earned in another jurisdiction on the UBE and the score is certified as a UBE score by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Applicants must submit evidence of the score and a complete application for admission to the Board within 36 months of the date of the qualifying examination. The UBE transfer score application will be available on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Before being admitted to the practice of law in Wisconsin by UBE examination, applicants must also successfully complete 21 hours of the Wisconsin law and practice educational component. The Wisconsin law and practice educational component must be completed within 12 months of filing an application for admission via an eligible UBE transfer score.

Wisconsin Law and Practice Educational Component

Before being admitted to the practice of law in Wisconsin by UBE examination or by a transferred UBE score, applicants must also successfully complete 21 hours of the Wisconsin law and practice educational component. The Wisconsin law and practice educational component must be completed no later than 12 months after receiving notification of having passed the UBE in Wisconsin or within 12 months of filing an application for admission via an eligible UBE transfer score. The Wisconsin law and practice educational component will be comprised of subject matter areas based on the requirements of the diploma privilege as found in SCR 40.03 and approved by the Board.

Admission on proof of practice

The applicant who applies for admission to the practice of law in Wisconsin must show they have been substantially engaged in the practice of law in a state or territory, the federal government, or the District of Columbia for three years within the last five years prior to filing application for admission. A lawyer may satisfy this requirement by proof of practice in more than a single jurisdiction and under more than one provision of SCR 40.05 .

Correspondence

The Board of Bar Examiners must be able to correspond with all applicants and their character and employment references by mail, phone, and email. Please verify that all contact information supplied in your application is current and accurate. In order to receive important, timely email notifications from the Board of Bar Examiners, please verify that your spam settings are not blocking e-mails from any email ending in @wicourts.gov. If you experience other problems receiving emails from the Board of Bar Examiners, please contact the office at (608) 266-9760.

Fee waiver

Veterans: In 2013, the Wisconsin Supreme Court established a fee waiver program for qualified veterans with regard to Wisconsin bar admission and examination fees along with other professional/occupational licensure fees. Eligibility for fee waivers is determined by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. Visit https://dva.wi.gov/pages/educationemployment/feewaiver.aspx (external link) for more information and to apply for an eligibility code. You must upload a copy of the email (.pdf format) containing your eligibility code in the Document upload section of the online admissions application.

Board of Bar Examiners
110 East Main Street, Suite 310
P.O. Box 2748
Madison, WI 53701-2748
Ph: (608) 266-9760