Section 2-8.Qualifications for Admission

Section 2-8 sets out what an applicant must satisfy the bar examining committee of, unless admitted instead under Section 2-13 or 2-13A. The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or an alien lawfully residing in the United States, including someone authorized to work lawfully here, and must be at least eighteen years old.

The applicant must be of good moral character and fit to practice law, and must have either passed an approved or required examination in professional responsibility or completed a course in professional responsibility under the committee's regulations. Any inquiries into an applicant's health diagnosis, treatment, or drug or alcohol dependence must be narrowly tailored and necessary to assess current fitness to practice law, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, amendment twenty-one of the Connecticut constitution, and privacy rights under federal and state law.

The applicant must meet the committee's educational requirements, file an application with the director along with the required fee, pass a law examination under the committee's regulations, and comply with all pertinent committee rules and regulations. As an alternative to the educational requirement, an applicant who meets all other requirements may instead prove admission to practice before the highest court of original jurisdiction in one or more states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, or in a federal district court, for ten or more years while remaining a member in good standing, and actual practice in such a jurisdiction for at least five of the seven years immediately before filing the application.