About the Board
The Board of Law Examiners is the body that decides whether someone is ready to become a lawyer in Michigan. It is established under the State Bar of Michigan to run and oversee the examinations that people must pass to be admitted to the practice of law.
The Board has up to 15 members, each called an Examiner. One Examiner serves as the Board's president.
What the Board does
- Administers the examinations for admission to the practice of law.
- Sets exam procedures, including how the exams are given and graded.
- Evaluates applicants who want to be admitted.
- Certifies the results, confirming who has passed.
- Handles other admission matters connected to becoming a lawyer.
The Board can also create committees and give particular duties to individual Examiners when needed, which lets it split up the work of reviewing applicants and running the exams.
Becoming a lawyer in Michigan
The Board is where the path to practicing law runs through. In general, the process works like this:
- Apply to the BoardApplicants ask the Board for permission to sit for the exam.
- The Board evaluates youExaminers review the application to decide whether you qualify.
- You take the examThe Board gives the admission examination under its procedures.
- The Board certifies the resultsApplicants who pass are certified by the Board.
- You're admitted to practiceAfter certification, you can be admitted and join the State Bar.
The Board sets its own application steps, fees, and exam dates. Check with the Board for the current details.
How Examiners are appointed
Examiners aren't elected. They are appointed by the State Bar Director, and the Supreme Court has to approve each one.
- The State Bar Director appointsThe Director picks a person to serve as an Examiner.
- The Supreme Court votesThe appointment goes to the Court, which approves or rejects it by majority vote.
- The person takes office only after approvalUntil the Court approves, the appointee can't act as an Examiner. If the Court rejects the appointment, they don't serve.
The Supreme Court can remove an Examiner at any time by majority vote. That keeps the Board accountable to the Court.
The Attorney Discipline Board
The Board of Law Examiners isn't the only board of this kind. The Attorney Discipline Board has three members, appointed and removed in the same way: the State Bar Director appoints them, the Supreme Court must approve each by majority vote, and the Court can remove any member by majority vote.
The Attorney Discipline Board has its own president. After the three members are appointed, the State Bar Director chooses one of them to serve as president. The president stays in that role until the next general election and can be reappointed for up to two more terms.