These jurisdictions observe reciprocity:
The following jurisdictions offer an out-of-state attorneys' exam as an avenue for admission to the bar. Note that Georgia and Maine also observe reciprocity, so in those states, presumably, the exam is for attorneys from jurisdictions not allowing admission on motion.
Almost half of U.S. jurisdictions allow admission to the bar on motion (i.e., without the need to sit for that jurisdiction's bar examination) for applicants licensed to practice in jurisdictions which afford the same courtesy. This practice is referred to as reciprocity. Each reciprocity jurisdiction recognizes every other reciprocal jurisdiction, and vice versa. There will be other requirements for applicants on motion. Some common ones include:
The sidebar lists all jurisdictions presently observing reciprocity.
As of the date of publication, a number of U.S. jurisdictions do not observe reciprocity. Of these jurisdictions, several provide for admission on motion regardless of reciprocity, while others offer an out-of-state attorneys' exam as an alternate method of entry. Maryland is one of the latter. The respective boxes on this page indicate which category applies.
The following jurisdictions allow admission on motion regardless of whether the state bar to which the applicant belongs allows admission by motion reciprocally.
The following jurisdictions do not allow admission by motion; generally, all applicants to the bar are expected to sit for the jurisdiction's bar examination: