Virgin Islands Bar Examination (UBE)
Bar Exam Information
NOTE: Bar exam information is subject to change without notice.
Please verify with bar examiner’s office.
BAR EXAM DATES AND FORMAT
2021: February 23 – 24, July 27 – 28
The Virgin Islands Bar Exam is a 2-day Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).
Day 1: Six 30-minute Multistate Essay Exam questions (MEE in the AM) and two 90-minute Multistate Performance Test questions (MPT in the PM).
Day 2: Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM).
Supreme Court of Virgin Islands
Office of Bar Admissions
No. 161B Crown Bay
St. Thomas, VI 00802
Phone: (340) 774-2237
Fax: (340) 774-2258
Email: BarAdmissions@visupremecourt.org
Website: https://supreme.vicourts.org/offices_of_the_court/bar_admission
University of the Virgin Islands – St. Thomas Campus
2 John Brewers Bay
St. Thomas, VI 00802-9990
Subjects Tested
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts/Sales
- Criminal Law/Procedure
- Evidence
- Federal Civil Procedure
- Real Property
- Torts
- Business Associations (Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies)
- Conflicts of Law
- Family Law
- Trusts and Estates (Decedents' Estates; Trusts and Future Interests)
- Secured Transactions (Article 9 of Uniform Commercial Code)
- Plus, all MBE Subjects
Multistate Performance Test “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.
Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), a scaled score on the 75 on the MPRE is required. An MPRE score must be attained no earlier than three (3) years prior to the date of the administration of the UBE in which the applicant achieves a passing score.
Filing Deadlines and Fees
Filing Fee for Regular Admission: $100.00
Registration Fee: $1,000.00
Late Examination Registration Fee: $250.00
Bar Exam Retaking Fee: $500.00 for each portion
NCBE Character and Fitness Investigation Fee: Determined by NCBE
Scoring
Applicants must receive a minimum combined score of 266 on the UBE components. When calculating a combined score for the UBE, the MBE, MEE, and MPT shall be weighed as provided for by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
Additional Requirements
Virgin Islands Law Component (VILC)
In order to be licensed to practice law in the Virgin Islands, applicants must also pass the Virgin Islands Law Course (VILC). The VILC tests important and unique aspects of Virgin Islands law that are not tested on the Virgin Islands UBE. More information on the VILC can be found on the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands’ website.
The Virgin Islands Law Component is an open-book, 50 item, 90-minute, online multiple-choice test developed by the Virgin Islands Committee of Bar Examiners. The purpose of the VILC is to ensure that potential new members of the Virgin Islands Bar have been exposed to and have knowledge of law unique to the U.S. Virgin Islands. The subjects covered on the VILC are Virgin Islands Government & Constitutional Law, Legal Profession, Virgin Islands Practice, Administrative Law, Business Associations (Corporations, Limited Liability and Partnerships), Domestic Relations and Wills.
Reciprocity
Admission on Motion
An applicant seeking admission to the Virgin Islands Bar by motion without taking the Virgin Islands Bar Examination must satisfy the following criteria:
- Holds a J.D. or LL.B. degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association at the time the applicant matriculated or graduated;
Has been admitted after passage of a written examination to the practice of law in another United States jurisdiction; - Is admitted to the practice of law in another United States jurisdiction that admits members of the Virgin Islands Bar to the practice of law in that jurisdiction on motion without oral or written examination;
- Is currently in good standing in all jurisdictions where licensed to practice law;
- Is not currently subject to lawyer discipline or the subject of a pending disciplinary matter in any jurisdiction;
- Has been primarily engaged in the active practice of law in one or more United States jurisdictions for five of the seven years immediately preceding the date upon which the application is filed;
- Produces satisfactory evidence of good moral character, an adequate knowledge of the standards and ideals of the profession, and proof that the applicant is otherwise fit to take the oath and perform the obligations and responsibilities of a lawyer as required of all other applicants for admission to the Virgin Islands Bar; and
- Passes the VILC
Admission by UBE
An applicant who elects to apply for admission to the Virgin Islands Bar using a UBE score transferred from another UBE jurisdiction, may do so, provided that:
- the score attained on the UBE meets or exceeds 266;
- no more than three years have passed since the applicant sat for the administration of the UBE for which the qualifying UBE score was attained; and
- the applicant meets all other application requirements set forth in this Rule 204, including holding a J.D. or LL.B. degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association at the time the applicant matriculated or graduated.
The Virgin Islands only accepts official UBE score transcripts in their entirety.
Additionally, to be eligible for admissions an applicant must:
- Obtain a scaled score of 75 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE);
- Pass the Virgin Islands Law Component (VILC); and
- Undergo a Character Examination and Personal Interview.
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