2017 Bar Admission Information & Ceremonies

2017 Bar Admission Information & Ceremonies

5/10/17

The results of the February 2017 bar exam were released to applicants on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. View the notice on the Board of Law Examiners' website.

To Become a Member of the State Bar of Michigan

Pass Bar ExamThe State Bar of Michigan welcomes qualified applicants who are entering the practice of law in this state. All attorneys who practice law in Michigan are required to be members of the State Bar.

We have provided these helpful steps for you to follow after you have received your certified results from the Board of Law Examiners indicating a passing score on the Michigan bar exam or certification through reciprocity with another state:

Step 1. Appear and present Board of Law Examiners certification, sent by mail, at a mass swearing-in ceremony or to one of the circuit courts of the state. Upon motion made in open court by a licensed Michigan lawyer, the court will administer the oath of office and enter an order admitting you to the bar of the state. Upon motion made in open court by a licensed Michigan lawyer, the court will administer the oath of office and enter an order admitting you to the bar of the state. (This order will expire after three years).

Step 2. After being admitted to the bar by the court, you must complete the Membership Application online at e.michbar.org using a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card to become a member of the State Bar of Michigan. Paper applications are no longer accepted. This application is not complete without a true, or certified copy of the Order of Admission (from the swearing-in ceremony) and payment of the required bar dues as noted within the instructions. Create an account as a Prospective New Active Attorney or Prospective New Voluntary Inactive Attorney.

Please note: some counties send the Order of Admission directly to the State Bar of Michigan following the swearing-in ceremony. Members sworn in at the Supreme Court need only send a copy of the Order of Admission to the State Bar.

Step 3. After the Membership Application, Order of Admission, and dues payment are received and processed, your bar license number (P number) is assigned. Only then are active members eligible to practice law in Michigan. It may take up to a week for the State Bar to process the application and assign your P number.

Please note: that if you must conduct business in a court or jail after receiving your P number and before receiving a bar card, a Certificate of Good Standing may be used, provided the court or jail accepts it. It is your responsibility to contact the court or jail to determine if a Certificate of Good Standing is accepted. To purchase a Certificate of Good Standing, click on SBM Store or download a paper form. All requests must be in writing and must include the certificate processing fee.

Local bar associations are scheduling their admissions ceremonies. We will post information on those ceremonies as soon as we receive it from the local bars.

Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association

Visit www.detroitlawyer.org for more information as it becomes available. Please direct all questions to Darlene Trudell at dtrudell@detroitlawyer.org or (313) 961-6120 ext. 201.

Genesee County Bar Association

Date/Time: Friday, June 2, 2017; 3:30 p.m.
Location: Courtroom of Hon. Joseph J. Farah, Genesee County 7th Judicial Circuit Court, 900 S Saginaw St, Flint

To register, and for more information, go to www.gcbalaw.org or call (810) 232-6012.

Grand Rapids Bar Association

Admission to the federal court is coordinated with this ceremony.

Important: Registration required, no walk-ins allowed.
Visit www.grbar.org or contact Kenny Williams-Buck at kenneth@grbar.org or call (616) 454-5550

Grand Traverse–Leelanau–Antrim Bar Association

Contact Teri Quinn at (231) 922-4701, c13court@grandtraverse.org

Ingham County Bar Association

Date/Time: Tuesday, May 23, 2017; 5:30 p.m.
Location:
WMU-Cooley Law School, 300 S Capitol Ave, Lansing

All passers are welcome, you need not be a WMU-Cooley alumnus. Contact the Ingham County Bar Association at icbayounglawyers@gmail.com for more information.

Jackson County Bar Association

Contact Christine Lammi at the Fourth Circuit Court Administrator's Office at (517) 768-8502 or e-mail clammi@co.jackson.mi.us to schedule a ceremony.

Kalamazoo County Bar Association

Date/Time: Friday, June 23; 3:00 p.m.
Location: Michigan Ave Courthouse, Courtroom D, 227 West Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo

Applicants should contact Gale Evans at (269) 383-8669 for more information.

Macomb County Bar Association

Visit www.macombbar.org or call the office at (586) 468-2940, ext. 101.

Oakland County Bar Association

Date/Time: Tuesday, May 23; 11:45 a.m.
Location: Oakland County Commissioners Auditorium, 1200 N. Telegraph Rd, Pontiac

Visit www.ocba.org for ceremony registration and details. Please direct questions to Katie Tillinger at ktillinger@ocba.org or call (248) 334-3400.

Washtenaw County Bar Association

Contact the Civil/Criminal Clerk’s Office at (734) 222-3001.