Admission on Motion (Rule 705)
Domain overview
Rule 705 allows certain lawyers already licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction to be admitted in Illinois without taking the Illinois bar exam. The exam tests the eligibility conditions, the difference from transferred-UBE admission, and the character-and-fitness overlay.
Core rules and concepts
- Eligible population: the applicant must be admitted to practice in another state, territory, or the District of Columbia. Admission in a foreign country does not qualify under Rule 705.
- Recent active practice: the rule requires a substantial recent practice period-generally at least five of the seven years immediately preceding the application. Legal practice, not unrelated business or inactive status, must be shown.
- Education and exam background: the applicant generally must hold a JD from an ABA-approved law school or satisfy the rule's equivalent education requirement and must have been admitted by examination in the qualifying jurisdiction.
- Good standing and discipline: the applicant must be in good standing, with no pending disciplinary proceeding or serious discipline that would preclude admission.
- Other requirements: the Illinois application, fees, character and fitness, and the MPRE (score 85) still apply.
Worked example
A lawyer admitted in Indiana in 2015 practiced full-time in Indiana from 2018 through 2024-six of the last seven years-with no discipline and an MPRE score of 90. She can seek Rule 705 admission if her law school and application satisfy the rule. If she practiced only three years, or her practice was inactive, the motion route fails.
Traps
Confusing Rule 705 with transferred-UBE admission; counting nonlegal employment as active practice; ignoring a pending disciplinary complaint; assuming foreign admission qualifies; omitting the MPRE or character-and-fitness materials.