Federal Bar Examination Information

Public Notice

The FEDERAL BAR EXAMINATION will be offered on Saturday, November 14, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico School of Law, Tres Monjitas Industrial Park, 170 Federico Costa St., Hato Rey, PR 00918-1303. Click here for a map.

As per Notice from the Clerk 20-15, applicants registered for the postponed April 2020 FBE will be contacted by the Clerk’s Office and provided the option of registering for the November 14, 2020 FBE or deferring their registration to the April 2021 FBE. Applicants are required to inform their decision to the Clerk’s Office via email no later than August 21, 2020. Applicants that do not inform their chosen option within the allotted time will forfeit their space and FBE fee.

The registration process for the November 14, 2020 FBE for all other applicants will begin on Monday August 24, 2020. Interested applicants can submit their application, along with a Good Standing Certificate and FBE fee payment via regular mail ONLY. In person applications will not be accepted.  Once registration reaches the maximum number of available spaces, the Clerk’s Office will not accept additional applications.

The examination consists of eight (8) separate subject areas to be tested:

Subject Area Percentage Questions
Federal Civil Procedure 16% 8
Federal Evidence 16% 8
Federal Jurisdiction and Venue 16% 8
Federal Criminal Procedure (Includes the subject of Sentencing Guidelines. Applicants must be familiar with the ruling in United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621(2005) and progeny from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals). 12% 6
Local Rules 12% 6
Federal Appellate Procedure 10% 5
Bankruptcy, including the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 and the Bankruptcy Rules. 10% 5
Ethics 8% 4
TOTAL   50

 

The essay question is mandatory as it is designed to assess the candidates' proficiency in English --ability to read, write and understand the English language-- to satisfy the requirement of effective assistance of counsel to their clients under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.  Regardless of the result in the multiple choice part of the examination, applicants who do not answer the essay question will receive a grade of "fail".

Attorneys who wish to take the examination must file an Application Form (please click here) (Acrobat Reader Required) or an online Application Form (please click here) with the Clerk of Court (150 Carlos Chardón Street, Federal Building, Office 150, San Juan, P.R. 00918-1767), and:

  • Submit with the application, an original certificate of good standing (not more than six months) issued by the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, the highest court of any state of the Union, the District of Columbia, the Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • Include a non-refundable $100.00 fee payable to "Clerk, U.S. District Court" in the form of check, money order, or, if in person, in cash or credit card. The fee will be credited towards the admission fee.
Application Deadline to Submit Application, Documents, and Fee    
In Person

Friday, October 23, 2020 at 4:45 PM 

NOT AVAILABLE FOR NOVEMBER 14, 2020 EXAM

  • Application
  • Original certificate of good standing
  • $100 non-refundable fee
By Mail Friday, October 9, 2020 Postmark
  • Application
  • Original certificate of good standing
  • $100 non-refundable fee
Online Friday, October 9, 2020 Postmark (by mail)
  • Online application receipt
  • Original certificate of good standing
  • $100 non-refundable fee
  • Applicants who require reasonable accommodation shall submit a letter addressed to the Clerk of Court detailing the accommodation.  The request letter must be included together with the Application Form and/or be filed at the Clerk's Office within the deadlines set forth in this Notice.

Petitions for review must be filed within thirty (30) days from the date of notification of the results of the examination.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL (787) 772-3016, or send an e-mail to: prd-bar-exam@prd.uscourts.gov.
 

MARIA ANTONGIORGI, ESQ.
Clerk of Court

rev. 08/19/2020