Steps to become a Lawyer/Attorney in Oklahoma

Follow the step by step process or choose what situation that best describes you:

Get my Oklahoma Undergraduate Pre-Law Education
Take the LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
Go to Oklahoma Law School
Take the Oklahoma State Bar Exam and become an Attorney
Now that You’ve Been Admitted to the Bar

Law Career in Oklahoma

Statistics provided by the Oklahoma Bar Association indicate that as of May 2018, there were 17,800 active, practicing bar members in Oklahoma. Within their ranks are all sorts of attorneys practicing in various areas of the law, including solo practitioners, those who work as small firms, and lawyers working in larger firm settings. Members of the Oklahoma Bar Association also receive valuable discounts on things such as car rental services, shipping services, and payment/credit card processing services. If you would like to become a practicing lawyer in Oklahoma and a member of the mandatory Oklahoma Bar Association, keep reading.

Step 1

Receive Your Oklahoma Undergrad Pre-Law Major

The Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners requires that you have at least a bachelor’s degree before entering law school if you plan to take the state’s bar exam at some time in the future.

Accreditation

The Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners demands that the undergraduate institution you attend have credits that are transferrable to the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, or the University of Tulsa. Only then will the Board recognize your undergraduate education as valid. The American Bar Association needs a bit more accreditation of your undergraduate college or university. It must be accredited by a recognized agency listed with the U.S. Department of Education in order for ABA-accredited law schools to recognize the validity of your undergraduate degree.

Requirements and Standards

Under the rules of the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, you must complete 120 credit hours in the pursuit of your bachelor’s degree (90 of which must represent resident study). These credit hours may be in any field or discipline that you choose.

Degree Options

The Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners says that you may obtain a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree prior to entering law school.

Featured Programs:

LSAT (Law School Admission Test) in Oklahoma

The LSAT, or Law School Admission Test, is required for admission to ABA-accredited law schools across the United States. Taking this exam represents the next step in your quest to become an Oklahoma lawyer.

How to prepare

You can prepare easily, and for free, by taking practice tests at the LSAT website, provided by the sponsor of this standardized examination, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). If you would rather pay for a LSAT review course in preparation to take this important exam, options in Oklahoma include:
LSAT Exam Prep Courses in Oklahoma:

LSAT Prep Classes, Testmasters, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Norman
LSAT Prep Course, Cutts, Oklahoma City

Exam content

The LSAT is a six-hour-long standardized test of your abilities in reading comprehension and writing, as well as your abilities in logic, analysis, and reasoning. You will see mostly multiple-choice questions, plus one essay question (that is not graded). Although the essay question does not count as part of your total LSAT score, it will be used by law schools to which you apply to evaluate your writing skills. It is more a test of your abilities and capabilities than of your knowledge of any particular subject.

Application process

The opportunity to take the LSAT presents itself various times annually: in November, January, March, June and July. The test is offered on Mondays and Saturdays. Apply online to take the LSAT at one of the following Oklahoma examination centers:

Cameron University, Lawton
University of Oklahoma, Norman
Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
University of Tulsa, Tulsa

Receiving Your Score

Expect to receive your LSAT score via mail about three weeks after taking the test. It will be between 120 and 180. Average LSAT scores accepted at Oklahoma law schools include:

University of Oklahoma College of Law:	157
Oklahoma City University School of Law:	148
University of Tulsa College of Law:	154

Step 3

Go to Law School in Oklahoma

FIND SCHOOLS

Application process

The Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners has ruled that you must graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. Once you have your bachelor’s degree and have passed the LSAT, you are ready to begin the law school application process. You may attend any of the more than 200 ABA-accredited law schools listed in the LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law School – it need not be located in Oklahoma.

Credential Assembly Service

All ABA-accredited law schools nationwide mandate that you use the Law School Admission Council’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS) when you apply for admission. It helps you in getting all undergraduate transcripts together, gathering letters of recommendation and evaluations from those who are familiar with your character and your work, and streamlines the application process to law schools. The CAS will create up to five law school reports and apply electronically for you to these schools, using the collected information. You may sign up online with the LSAC and pay through your LSAC account to use the CAS.

Accreditation

The Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners mandates that all who take the state’s bar exam must have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law institution. Graduates of law schools that are not accredited by the ABA and of law schools within foreign countries are not allowed to take the Oklahoma bar exam.

ABA-Accredited Law Schools in Oklahoma

These Oklahoma law schools are ABA accredited:

University of Oklahoma College of Law, Andrew M. Coats Hall, 300 Timberdell Rd, Norman, OK 73019
Oklahoma City University School of Law, 2501 North Blackwelder Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73106-1493
University of Tulsa College of Law, 3120 East Fourth Place, Tulsa, OK 74104-3189

Course requirements

These subjects are tested on Oklahoma’s bar exam and are expected to be a part of the curriculum of any ABA-accredited law school in the state:

Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct
Commercial Law
Property
Procedural Law
Criminal Law
Business Associations
Constitutional Law
Administrative Law
Torts
Intestate Succession
Conflicts of Law
Family Law

Online Law Degrees

View Online and Campus Law and Legal Studies Programs

(For students who choose to focus on a subset of law other than an attorney.)

Internship

Clinical work is an important part of the curriculum in law school. It gives students the opportunity to use in a practical situation what is learned in the classroom. Depending upon your law school, clinical offerings may vary. They may consist of legal clinics in which you work with poor clients; private law firms in which you work as an intern; government agencies in which you work as an intern; and the state legislature.

Law Student Registration

If you ever intend to take the Oklahoma bar exam, you must register with the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners as a law student by October 15 of your second year of law school. Registration is separate from applying to take the state’s bar exam. You must use the Online Application for Law Student Registration. Print it out, sign it, have it notarized, and mail it to the Board of Bar Examiners along with the following supporting documentation:

Passport-type photo of yourself
Official certified transcript showing receipt of your bachelor’s degree
Two copies of the completed NCBE Application for Character Report (instructions are found within the registration application)
Three official executed Authorization and Release forms
Filing fee payable to Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners in the amount of $125 (payable by check, money order or credit card)
NCBE fee (will be noted on the application, payable to NCBE)

Mail your completed application to Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3036.

Degree Programs

Under rules of the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, you must have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-approved law school. Many of these law schools offer dual degree programs (that is, a J.D. in combination with a Master’s degree in another subject) or concentrations. Examples in Oklahoma include:

Joint Degree Programs:
- University of Oklahoma College of Law:
  - J.D. and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
  - J.D. and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
  - J.D. and Master of Science or Arts (M.S. or M.A.)
- Oklahoma City University School of Law:
  - J.D./M.B.A.
- University of Tulsa College of Law:
  - J.D./M.A. in Anthropology
  - J.D./M.S. in Biological Sciences
  - J.D./M.B.A.
  - J.D./M.A. in Clinical Psychology
  - J.D./M.A. in Computer Science
  - J.D./M.A. in English
  - J.D./M.S. in Geosciences
  - J.D. /M.A. in History
  - J.D./M.A. in Industrial Organization Psychology
Concentrations:
- University of Oklahoma College of Law:
  - Native American Law
- University of Tulsa College of Law:
  - Comparative International Law
  - Entrepreneurial Law
  - Health Law
  - Native American Law
  - Public Policy
  - Resources, Energy and Environmental Law

Step 4

Take the Oklahoma State Bar Exam

After completing Steps 1, 2, and 3, you are ready to apply to take the Oklahoma bar examination.

Preparation

You can prepare for the Multistate Bar Exam portion of the Oklahoma Bar Exam by studying free information at the National Conference of Bar Examiners website . Other options for students preparing for the Oklahoma bar exam include:

Oklahoma Legal Code, review online
Uniform Commercial Code, review online

Exam content

The Oklahoma Bar Exam is given in a two-day period in Oklahoma City in February and July. The first day consists of answering 16 essay questions (30 minutes per question). The following subjects may be tested:

Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct
Commercial Law (includes contracts, Uniform Commercial Code, consumer law, creditor’s rights, and bankruptcy)
Property
Procedural Law (includes practice, pleadings, remedies and evidence)
Criminal Law
Business Associations (includes partnerships, agencies, corporations and limited liability companies)
Constitutional Law
Administrative Law
Torts
Intestate Succession (includes estates, wills, trusts, estate planning, and federal estate and gift taxation)
Conflicts of Law
Family Law

The second day consists of the Multistate Bar Exam, 200 multiple-choice questions on the following subjects:

Contracts
Torts
Criminal law and procedure
Constitutional law
Evidence
Real property

Application Process

Complete the online Exam Application by Registered Law Student. The filing deadline is six months prior to the date of the bar examination you plan to take (September 1 for the February exam and February 1 for the July exam). The exam fee is $400, payable to the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners. Along with your completed, printed application:

Attach a passport-type photo of yourself
Sign and notarize the Affidavit, Authorization and Release
Attach a certified law school transcript showing final semester grades and receipt of your JD degree
MPRE score report (see below)

Mail all of the above to Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, P.O. Box 53036, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3036.

Pass Rates

The Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners says that for the February 2017 administration of the Bar Exam, 81 percent of overall exam takers passed, and 89 percent of first-time test-takers passed. For the July 2017 administration, 81 percent of overall test-takers passed, and 87 percent of first-time test-takers passed.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE)

Before you can be admitted to the Oklahoma bar, you must pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) with a scaled score of at least 75. You must take the MPRE within one year of passing the Oklahoma bar exam. Apply online with the NCBE to take the MPRE.

Admission on Motion

Are you a licensed attorney in another jurisdiction and wish to become a member of the Oklahoma bar? You may be eligible for admission without examination, also known as admission on motion. You must meet these requirements:

Be a member of a reciprocal jurisdiction’s bar in good standing and in active status
Have actively, continuously practiced law there for five of the past seven years
Be a graduate of an ABA-approved law school
Have never previously taken the Oklahoma bar exam.

Currently, these jurisdictions are reciprocal with Oklahoma: AL, AZ, AK, AR, CO, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI and WY.

If you qualify, complete the Admission on Motion-Reciprocity application and pay the fee of $2000 to the Board of Bar Examiners. This application may be filed at any time (no deadlines exist). Allow the Board at least four months to process your application.

Licensing and Admission to the Bar

You should receive your bar exam results approximately nine weeks after taking the exam, via postal mail. You will be notified of the time and place of your admission ceremony, where you will take the Oath of Attorney and sign the Roll of Attorneys. You will then automatically become a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and receive your bar card and permanent identification number.

Step 5

You’ve Been Admitted to the Oklahoma Bar

You have worked hard, passed all necessary examinations and are now a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association! Take advantage of the many legal resources provided by the OBA, including member benefits such as networking, practice management, access to online services, publications and sections of the association that may be relevant to your practice area. The OBA can also help you achieve the perfect work/life balance, assist you with crisis counseling, and provide job search services.

A quick search of online classifieds shows that in Oklahoma in 2019, jobs for legal counsel with various companies abound. Oklahoma companies that may be in need of legal help include Care.com in Edmond, the State of Oklahoma in Tulsa, Sutherland in Oklahoma City, and Graves McLain PLLC in Tulsa.

FIND SCHOOLS

Legal specialty certification

Under Oklahoma’s Rules of Professional Conduct, you are not allowed to advertise yourself as a “specialist” in an area of law unless you are certified or recognized following procedures approved by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. However, as of 2012, Oklahoma has no procedure for approving certifying organizations. If you decide to become certified to specialize in a practice area, make sure that when you advertise yourself as such, you add a footnote stating that Oklahoma currently has no procedure for approving certifying organizations.

Requirements for maintaining license

Oklahoma requires all lawyers to complete 12 hours of mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) per year, including one hour of ethics. MCLE may be earned in the following ways:

Through watching online video programs
Through listening to online, downloadable audio programs
From attendance at live programs
From Webcast seminars and encores
From Webinars (in real time)
From telephone seminars
From video seminars

For more information on MCLE in Oklahoma, contact the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Department of the OBA at 405-416-7009 or [email protected].

Court Systems in Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s court system has the following structure:

Oklahoma Supreme Court: one of the state’s two courts of last resort, determines all civil appeals, has only immediate jurisdiction over new issues, important issues of law, or matters of great public interest. It is located in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals: the second of Oklahoma’s courts of last resort, located in Oklahoma City, decides all criminal appeals (including death penalty cases).
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals: Oklahoma’s intermediate appellate court, responsible for most appeals from trial court decisions. Two divisions are in Tulsa and two are in Oklahoma City.
District Court: There are 77 districts in Oklahoma, with 75 district, 77 associate district, and 89 special judges. Jury trials are held in district courts. They have exclusive jurisdiction in civil cases and small claims up to $6000, domestic relations, criminal, juvenile, traffic infractions, and ordinance violation cases.
Workers Compensation Court of Existing Claims: Located in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court of Existing Claims judges hear cases involving on-the-job injuries.

Elective membership organizations

You might want to consider becoming a member of one of the following specialized membership organizations for attorneys who fall into certain categories, such as:

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Lawyers reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2023.