Admissions Report by Abby Kostecka

The Idaho State Bar Admissions Department administers the rules governing admission to the practice of law in Idaho. Attorneys can be admitted by taking the Idaho Bar Examination, transferring a Uniform Bar Examination (“UBE”) score to Idaho, or based on their experience practicing law in another state. The Admissions Department also oversees limited admission to the practice of law in Idaho through a House Counsel license (working in-house for an Idaho employer), Emeritus Attorney license (limited license to do pro bono work), Military Spouse Provisional admission (service member spouse is stationed in Idaho), pro hac vice admission, and Legal Intern licenses.

Idaho Bar Examination News and Statistics

Admissions Statistics

In 2024, 427 people applied for admission to practice law in Idaho. Of those applicants, 163 were applicants to sit for the bar examination, 67 were applying to transfer their UBE score, seven were House Counsel applicants, and 190 were Experienced Attorney applicants.

The Experienced Attorney applicant figure is notable due to its significant increase. In November 2023, the Idaho State Bar membership considered and approved Resolution 23-02, which recommended to the Idaho Supreme Court that the admissions rules be amended to make admission based on practice experience available to attorneys from any jurisdiction. On December 28, 2023, the Idaho Supreme Court entered an order amending the admissions rules consistent with Resolution 23-02, effective March 1, 2024. This change allowed for experienced attorneys to be admitted without having to sit for the bar examination in Idaho. In 2023, 96 people applied for reciprocal admission under former Idaho Bar Commission Rule (“I.B.C.R.”) 206, which was up 18.5 percent from 81 applicants in 2022. Since the rule change became effective on March 1, 2024, 198 applications by Experienced Attorneys were submitted pursuant to Rule 206.

41 people sat for the Bar exam in February of 2025. Although we do not yet know the number of applicants who will sit for the July 2025 bar exam, we predict there will continue to be fewer people taking the Idaho Bar examination going forward. This is due to the amendment of the admission rules mentioned above which enabled more experienced attorneys to be admitted to practice law in Idaho without having to take the Idaho Bar Examination.

2024 Resolution Results & NextGen Bar Exam

            In December of 2024, the Idaho State Bar membership considered and approved Resolution 24-01, which recommended to the Idaho Supreme Court that Section II of the I.B.C.R. be amended to implement the NextGen Bar Exam in Idaho commencing with the July 2026 bar examination. On February 21, 2025, the Idaho Supreme Court entered an order amending the admissions rules consistent with Resolution 24-01, replacing the UBE with NextGen.

            The NextGen Bar Exam has been years in the making; 36 jurisdictions have announced plans to adopt the NextGen exam and Idaho is currently slated to administer the examination with seven other jurisdictions at its debut in July 2026. We are very excited at the Bar about NextGen. Please stay tuned for updates as we continue to plan for this new test.

Anniversary Gala and Updates to the Annual Meeting by Teresa A. Baker

The Idaho State Bar is celebrating its 100^th Anniversary and the Idaho Law Foundation is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary in 2025. While it is fun to celebrate the past, it is also a great opportunity to evaluate the future. 

If you have been reading our Bar’s history for the past few months in the Advocate, you know that we have been holding an Annual Meeting since before we were officially an organized bar. The purpose of the meeting was multifaceted then and still is now. Meeting in person allows us to conduct business, educate one another on legal topics, celebrate our distinguished colleagues, and, perhaps most importantly, socialize and network with one another. The social connection of attorneys in Idaho is one of the ways that we preserve the civility of our small bar.

The Bar Commissioners and staff have been discussing the best way to keep that social connection and serve our members for the years to come. With decreasing turnout and increasing costs at desirable summer locations, it has become evident that the traditional Annual Meeting spanned over three days in July no longer meets our needs. 2025, as our Anniversary year, is a trial of a condensed Annual Meeting format. We will have a full day of events on Wednesday, July 16^th to accomplish our goals of a shorter meeting and to have more people attend. Except for fewer CLEs and the popular Milestone Awards, the same awards will be given. The Milestone honorees will be recognized during the Fall Roadshow in each judicial district. We will evaluate the response to the changes and then make plans for the next hundred years, or at least 2026.

We are also excited about a joint event with the Idaho Judicial Conference that will be held on September 9^th in Boise. Jonathan Shapiro, a nationally recognized lawyer-writer and television producer of such shows as Goliath, The Blacklist, Boston Legal, and The Practice will present a CLE followed by a reception. 

We hope you will join us in the celebration in 2025!  Browse the list of upcoming events and mark them in your calendar.

Abby Kostecka joined the Idaho State Bar in January 2025. She comes to the Bar after more than 10 years of practice as a Deputy Prosecutor for the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office. Originally from Ohio, Abby received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky and her law degree from Gonzaga University. Her job duties as Licensing Director include overseeing the process of being admitted to the bar in Idaho and monitoring the obligations of Bar members post-admission.

Teresa A. Baker is a member of the Idaho State Bar. After practicing law for 20 years, she decided to serve her fellow attorneys and currently is the Program and Legal Education Director for the Idaho State Bar and Idaho Law Foundation.