Character & Fitness Requirements

The twin hurdles of bar admissions are the Bar Exam and the Character and Fitness Application. The latter, though not necessarily a difficult process, is often a fairly cumbersome one, which asks for extensive background information on your past employment, addresses, education, interactions with the legal system, and more.

In Arizona, the character review is occasioned by the Supreme Court Rules. Rule 34(b)(1)(B) and (C) assert that before being granted admission to practice, applicants be found of "good moral character" and are "mentally, emotionally, and physically able" to engage in the practice of law. Rule 36 sets forth the procedures by which the Committee on Character and Fitness makes its determinations.

If you are applying for bar admission outside of Arizona, please check the character and fitness requirements in your jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions have their own unique processes.

Image on how to speed up your bar application process by filing early, remiding referecnes to look for letter in the mail, and answering questions honestly & with candor

 

Timing of the Character & Fitness application and bar exam application

In Arizona, an applicant may not submit their Character and Fitness application until they have submitted their Bar Application. (Other jurisdictions may require you to complete Character and Fitness concurrently with bar application or even before it. Please check your jurisdictions' requirements.)

Though you cannot submit the Arizona Character and Fitness report until the bar application cycle opens (i.e. July takers cannot submit their Character and Fitness report before the July bar application period opens on January 15th), you can obtain a sample character and fitness application (here) and begin the process of gathering the information you will need for this process far in advance. A good time to begin thinking about this is the fall of your 3L year.

Rule 34(b)(3) provides that the Committee on Character and Fitness will attempt to complete its inquiries by the time UBE scores are released. In order to have the best chance of your Character and Fitness determination being made by that time, applicants are encouraged by the Court to have all the pieces of their bar application -- Character and Fitness application, the MPRE, and the Arizona Law Course -- in place they sit for the bar exam.

Best Practices on Character & Fitness Application

It can be tricky sometimes to know how much information to disclose on the Character and Fitness Application. Read each question carefully and answer truthfully and to the best of your ability.

It is generally better to over-disclose than under-disclose. If in doubt about how to handle a certain question, reach out to a law school mentor for guidance.

Never lie on any question.

If you cannot remember details that a question calls for, research to the best of your ability and disclose the pertinent information in as much detail as you do recall.

Members of the Arizona Character and Fitness Committe make visits to campus in the Fall and Spring semesters most years. If you are interested in the process or have specific questions or concerns, this is a wonderful resource to hear directly from the source. Keep an eye on our Announcements page for these dates. Even if you expect to gain admission in another jurisdiction, hearing directly from an admission authority may still be helpful to you as most jurisdictions will have a similar process and similar concerns.

 

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