The Long Road of Transferring an Out-of-State Law License to Ohio by Joshua Gurwell

A few months after applying to the Ohio bar via UBE (Uniform Bar Exam) transfer, I joked with colleagues that I could have been licensed quicker by “simply” retaking the bar. As it turns out, that may have been the case. I submitted my application to the Ohio bar
in early June of 2025, but I wasn’t sworn in until nearly ten months later. For those wishing to transfer their UBE score to Ohio, patience truly is a virtue.

In Ohio, you need a UBE score of 270 within the past five years, along with a score of 85 on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), a test of the ethical guidelines for attorneys. Aside from two affidavits, school transcripts, and $750 to
the Ohio Bar, the next step is a character and fitness investigation. Ohio uses the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) to conduct these checks. Yes, that’s right, the State of Ohio, an entity that has all the tools to know everything about us, uses the conference that administers the bar exam and MPRE to conduct the background check. This process cost $550 and took me four and a half months.

Once the NCBE report is received, the application is then sent to a local bar committee, mine being sent to the Toledo Bar Admissions Committee. Once received, the applicant must be interviewed by two bar members. My application was sent to the committee in October of 2025, yet I was not interviewed until January of 2026. Following the interview, the application is returned to the State Bar in Columbus for final approval. Unexplainably, my application was not received by the State Bar until March of 2026. Fortunately, I was approved and eligible to take the oath on March 23, 2026.

Upon reflection, it seems the process of transferring a bar score to Ohio could be made much more efficient. Most importantly, I believe the NCBE does not have better tools for conducting a character and fitness background check than the State of Ohio. I sat for the bar in South Carolina, a state that conducts its own background checks, and the process was much quicker. Further, much time was wasted due to either my application needing to be “received” by the necessary entity and/or the necessary people not pushing it forward. In a world where technology has made everything more efficient, it’s hard to understand why receiving an application could take so long. And why,
If I were interviewed in January, would it take almost two months for my application to be sent to and received by the State Bar?

For those wishing to transfer their UBE score to Ohio, understand that this process will take at least six months. The only silver lining is that, once the UBE Transfer Application is initially filed and pending, and you are in good standing in each jurisdiction you are admitted to, you can file an Application to Practice Pending Admission. While you may not be a fully licensed attorney in Ohio, once approved, you can practice in Ohio under the guidance of a licensed Ohio attorney. I feel very fortunate to have been hired at the Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, as many other employers would not have been as patient as Mr. Boyk.