We at UHLC are here to provide guidance and assistance on how to prepare for the bar exam by offering advising sessions, access to bar review courses, and equipping you with information to make the transition from law school to passing the bar exam less stressful. The University of Houston Law Center also offers a broad range ofcoursesdesigned to provide a foundational overview of topics tested on the Texas Bar Exam (UBE). More information on other state bar exams can be found on theNational Conference of Bar Examiners'website.
No matter how you plan to prepare for the bar exam, please feel free to reach out to Prof. Megan Davis and Prof. Laurel Simmons with any questions or concerns. Prof. Davis can be reached by email (mlwilso3@central.uh.edu) or phone (713-743-3226).Prof. Simmons can be reached by email (lepsimmons@uh.edu) or phone (713-743-0782). We are here to assist you through the bar exam.
The Declaration of Intention to Study Law form is to be filed by all persons who have begun their law study at ABA-approved schools in Texas to pursue a Juris Doctorate degree and who intend to apply for licensure in Texas. Individuals beginning an LLM program at an ABA-approved law school in Texas are not required to file a Declaration of Intention to Study Law. You can begin your Declaration of Intent on the Texas Board of Law Examiners' website. Please note, all documents must be filed by the dates listed below even if the date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday.
Application Deadlines
The deadline for first-semester law students is October 1. A late fee of $150 will be charged, if the application is submitted after this date.
The deadline for students transferring from out-of-state schools is 60 days after matriculation to UHLC. A late fee of $150 will be charged, if the application is submitted after the 60 day time period.
Additional information regarding the Texas Bar Exam can be found on theTexas Board of Law Examiners'website. Please note, all documents must be filed by the dates listed below even if the date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday.
- Bar Filing Deadline – July Bar Exam
- The first filing deadline is February 1 ($190)
- The late filing deadline is April 1 ($190 + late filing fee of $150)
- The final filing deadline is May 1 ($190 + final filing fee of $300)
- *No requests for disability accommodations will be accepted after April 1
- Bar Filing Deadline – February Bar Exam
- The first filing deadline is September 1 ($190)
- The late filing deadline is November 1 ($190 + late filing fee of $150)
- The final filing deadline is December 1 ($190 + final filing fee of $300)
- *No requests for disability accommodations will be accepted after November 1
- Additional Fees
- If you elect to use your laptop, you must submit an application and a $50 fee with your bar exam application. After you have applied, you will be required to pay $80 to access ILGEXAM360°
- ILGEXAM360°allows these functionalities: spell check, copy & paste, and cut & paste
- Note that the Texas Board of Law Examiners can change these deadlines and administration dates at any time. For the most recent information please review the ble.texas.gov website.
Students requesting accommodations for the Texas Bar Exam must submit supporting documentation and forms to the Board of Law Examiners (BLE) at the same time their Bar Exam Application is submitted. Accommodation application forms may be found on the Ancillary Forms page of the BLE website.
Students already receiving accommodations at the Law Center will need to coordinate documentation certification through the Justin Dart Jr. Student Accessibility Center (Justin Dart, Jr. Student Accessibility Center - University of Houston (uh.edu)). The Law Center cannot provide certification or medical documentation to assist in this process.
Students requesting accommodations on the Texas Bar Exam are strongly advised to schedule an in-person meeting with Academic Success Director, Kathryn Shotwell, (kshotwel@central.uh.edu), before submitting their Bar Exam Application to the Texas Board of Law Examiners. During this in-person meeting, relevant topics such as deadlines, necessary documentation, reasonable expectations, and what steps to take if an accommodation request is initially denied will be discussed
UBE | ||
Beginning February 2021 | ||
Day 1 | 2 MPT | 20% |
6 Essays (MEE) | 30% | |
Day 2 | MBE | 50% |
For J.D. students:
1L classes:
Torts*
Contracts*
Civil Procedure*
Property*
Constitutional Law*
Criminal Law*
Doctrinal Electives:
Evidence*
Business Organizations
Trusts & Wills
Criminal Procedure*
Conflict of Laws
Secured Financing
Family Law
Bar Skills Electives:
Legal Analysis and Writing
Professional Writing Skills
*Beginning in 2021, these classes account for over 65% of the content tested on the UBE.
In addition to passing the Texas Bar Exam, all students must take the Multistage Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) and receive a minimum score of 85. Starting in August 2019, the NCBE will begin transitioning the MPRE from a paper-based to a computer-based delivery platform. Additional information regarding deadlines, fees, and the paper-based to computer-based transition can be found on theNational Conference of Bar Examiners'website.
*Advising Note: The MPRE is offered each year in March, August and November. We recommend taking the MPRE while you are enrolled in Professional Responsibility, or registering for the exam session offered immediately after you take Professional Responsibility.
The Texas Law Component is a licensing requirement established by Rule 2(a)(8) and Rule 5. It is satisfied by completing the Texas Law Course (TLC), which is a series of video presentations on Texas law from experienced Texas attorneys.
The Texas Law Course is available through the State Bar of Texas – TexasBarCLE. There is no cost for the course, but you’ll need to register as a user of TexasBarCLE before you can register for the Texas Law Course. Go towww.texasbarcle.com/TBLE,click "Register Now," and follow the prompts.
To complete the TLC, you will watch a series of lectures and answer some "hurdle questions" at the end of each segment. The hurdle questions are designed to ensure that you have a minimal level of comprehension of the segment you just watched. The questions are not intended to be tricky, difficult, or hard. If you pay attention to the lecture, and perhaps take a few notes, you should be able to get through the hurdle questions. You must successfully answer most of the hurdle questions in order to proceed to the next segment.
The total length of the presentations is approximately 12 hours.
Texas Bar Exam Applicants may complete the TLC up to one year before taking the bar exam and up to two years after passing the bar exam in Texas. (But will not be licensed until the TLC is complete.)The State Bar of Texas presentsAftertheBarExam.com, a free online resource for all Texas Bar examinees, to address the concerns and questions of those facing for the first time the challenges and opportunities of a life in the law
