Bar Exams & Admission
It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that he/she has satisfied all bar admission requirements for the state or states where he/she intends to practice law. Students should be aware that a growing number of jurisdictions (including Illinois) require that registration for the bar occurs during the first year of legal studies. If a student intends to practice in a state other than Illinois, the applicant should obtain from the Board of Admission to the Bar or from the Clerk of the Supreme Court in the state in which he/she intends to practice complete information concerning the requirements of that state. A failure to obtain this information may unnecessarily delay or preclude admission to the bar.
Students who plan to take the Illinois bar exam can complete the application online at the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar Website at: www.ibaby.org. Students must mail the documents to the Board at 625 South College Street, Springfield, IL 62704-2521. The Examination Application Card and the (gray) Return Card can be picked up from the Law School's Registrar's Office, room 1430.
Illinois and Multi-State Bar Exam
Most law graduates take the bar exam after they graduate. Most states offer the exam in two parts: one day of the state bar exam (usually essay in form) followed by the multiple choice Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) on the second day. Each state bar exam may be a little different from the next, so be sure to ask the bar authorities from the state to which you will apply for admission. See Dean Faught for further information.
In Illinois, the first day of the exam consists of the following components:
- A 90-minute Multistate Performance Test (MPT) question. This is a "closed universe" practical problem using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by the bar examiners
- Six Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) questions
- Three questions drafted by Illinois examiners
In recent years, the following areas have been considered "fair game" for the MEE and Illinois bar examiners: Agency, Commercial Paper, Conflict of Laws, Corporations, Equity, Family Law, Federal Jurisdiction & Procedure, Illinois Civil Practice & Procedure, Partnerships, Personal Property, Sales, Secured Transactions, Suretyship, Trusts & Future Interests, and Wills.
The second day of the exam is the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) which is composed of 200 multiple-choice questions. The following areas have been tested in recent years: Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Future Interests, Real Property, Sales and Torts.
Most students who take a reasonably well-rounded curriculum at Loyola will be well prepared for the bar exam in any state. Students who, in planning their schedules, focus only on bar-related courses may not take advantage of the courses in the curriculum that offer a deeper perspective into the profession of law or that help develop important skills for the practice of law. Students who do not take enough courses that touch on the areas tested on the bar exam may find themselves poorly prepared for the bar. In either case, the student will find that his or her preparation for the profession of law is not well-rounded. For suggestions on what to take into consideration when choosing law school courses, please refer to the Curriculum Planning Guide for Law Students.
