NY Bar Application Process Thread

[geoff2o0o]

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[I.P. Daly]

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[geoff2o0o]

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[horns12]

From a prior thread:

I'm in the Second Department and can therefore only comment on my experience with them. The Character and Fitness portion comes after the bar exam, and takes a while. I switched my assigned department after talking the exam (to the 2nd department) since I moved in state. You need to submit legal affidavits signed by EVERY legal employer you've ever had (including before law school, unpaid internships, and law school clinics, i.e. ANYTHING legally-related). The affidavit just provides the date you worked there and asks if there is any reason you wouldn't be fit to practice law. This is a pain in the ass and took months to collect (I started sending them out in August, months before I knew whether I passed).

You also need to submit two "moral character" affidavits. At least in the second department these character affidavits are only good for 60 days. This means that you have to time it out so that you leave enough time for your affiants to fill out the character affidavits, but not so much time that the 60 days passes when it is time to submit your application. I received notification that I passed the NY bar exam the first week of November (for the July '11 administration). I sent in my completed packet that same week. So if you want to plan it out, just be sure to get your "character affidavits" in by the first week of November.

To be honest, the whole process is a pain in the ass (especially gathering and collecting all the affidavits). The 60 day rule makes absolutely no sense to me, considering that your moral character, or lack thereof, seems unlikely to change after 60 days.

After you submit your paperwork, you are required to have an "interview". I had to wait about four months to get an interview date. It lasted two minutes. I've been told that once you've received an interview date, you've been cleared by C+F and therefore it is just a formality. About a month after the interview I got a letter in the mail with my swearing-in date.

Two big pieces of advice for NY: 1) Get your affidavits and paperwork ready such that as SOON as you find you passed (they notify you via-email), you can drop your completed app in the mail that same day and 2) At least for the Second department you are required to take an "Orientation to the Profession Course" before you can be sworn in. The problem is that this information is hard to find out on their website and the slots fill up very, very quickly. Therefore, you don't want to be in a position (like a lot of people out there I know) where you have passed the bar exam, have been cleared by C+F, had your interview, but cannot be sworn in for another four months because you are waiting on a date to attend this program. Register for it right after passing!

All told, it'll be 5 months from the date of passing the exam to getting sworn in (two weeks! yes!). Hope this helps.

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[englawyer]

where are y'all getting the application? The online application is marked "closed" here: http://www.nybarexam.org/forms/forms.htm

what is the rough timeline on this stuff?

[quiver]

where are y'all getting the application? The online application is marked "closed" here: http://www.nybarexam.org/forms/forms.htm

what is the rough timeline on this stuff?

Wondering the same thing. When do we actually need to start filling stuff out and handing stuff in?

[horns12]

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[quiver]

where are y'all getting the application? The online application is marked "closed" here: http://www.nybarexam.org/forms/forms.htm

what is the rough timeline on this stuff?

Wondering the same thing. When do we actually need to start filling stuff out and handing stuff in?

It varies depending on which department you are assigned to. Some departments sent out the materials in August; others I guess haven't sent out anything yet. It is a major PITA.

This may be a dumb question but how are you assigned to a department? Do you get to at least state your preferences for one department over another?

[horns12]

You are assigned based on where you live in NY. Out of staters are assigned to 3 and 4 I believe.

[quiver]

You are assigned based on where you live in NY. Out of staters are assigned to 3 and 4 I believe.

Gotcha. Thanks. One more question: if you have both a permanent address and school address in NY, which one do they use to assign you?

[shock259]

This sounds horrible. 2L here that will be practicing in NY.

Assuming I take the bar in July, I shouldn't plan on practicing until January of the following year? Will your biglaw firm let you start working before the end of that process? If not, what does everyone do for the 5 months in between?

[mockalite]

So for the two character affidavits, they say that it's preferable to have an attorney fill one of them out. I don't know any... can I just have non-attorneys do it?

[englawyer]

This sounds horrible. 2L here that will be practicing in NY.

Assuming I take the bar in July, I shouldn't plan on practicing until January of the following year? Will your biglaw firm let you start working before the end of that process? If not, what does everyone do for the 5 months in between?

you can practice the same as a summer associate can: research memos etc are ok but you can't go argue in court (not that you would anyway as a first year)

[I.P. Daly]

This sounds horrible. 2L here that will be practicing in NY.

Assuming I take the bar in July, I shouldn't plan on practicing until January of the following year? Will your biglaw firm let you start working before the end of that process? If not, what does everyone do for the 5 months in between?

you can practice the same as a summer associate can: research memos etc are ok but you can't go argue in court (not that you would anyway as a first year)

That's not quite accurate. The various judicial departments handle it differently. --LinkRemoved--

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

When do we submit all the c+f materials? I haven't heard anything about the bar application but I thought it was sept/October?