Wisconsin Adopts the Legacy Uniform Bar Exam
On March 24, 2026, the Wisconsin Supreme Court released an order stating that Wisconsin will administer the legacy Uniform Bar Examination and accept transferred legacy UBE scores of 260 or higher beginning with the July 2026 bar administration.[1]
Applicants with qualifying UBE scores from other jurisdictions must apply for admission to the bar in Wisconsin no later than 36 months after earning their scores. Those seeking admission in Wisconsin must also complete 21 credit hours of jurisdiction-specific law components within 12 months of receiving or applying to transfer a passing UBE score.
The legacy UBE will replace the current Wisconsin Bar Examination. Graduates of Wisconsin law schools will continue to be eligible for admission through diploma privilege, but for out-of-state applicants or Wisconsin graduates seeking admission in other jurisdictions, Wisconsin’s adoption of the legacy UBE will allow more options for pursuing legal licensure. With the sunset of the legacy UBE in 2028, Wisconsin plans to transition to the NextGen UBE for the July 2028 administration.
Score Portability Can Aid Rural Communities, Support Multijurisdictional Practice
A key feature of the legacy UBE and the NextGen UBE is score portability. After taking the UBE in participating jurisdictions, applicants receive portable scores they can use to apply for legal licensure in other jurisdictions that participate in the UBE compact. Although the minimum passing UBE score differs from one jurisdiction to the next, portability eliminates certain barriers to lawyer mobility or multijurisdictional practice, such as the financial stress and many hours of studying that can come with retesting in another jurisdiction. Applicants aren’t the only ones who benefit from portability; it allows jurisdictions to recruit and retain qualified attorneys and connect them with members of the public.[2]
One factor driving Wisconsin’s adoption of the legacy UBE—and subsequently, the NextGen UBE—is a desire to increase the population of lawyers practicing in the state, particularly in Wisconsin’s rural communities.[3] Lawyers looking to expand or move their practices will be able to provide legal services to clients who have historically gone without them. The change also supports multijurisdictional practice. Lawyers working near Wisconsin’s borders with Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, or Minnesota—all of which are UBE jurisdictions—will more easily be able to seek licensure that allows them to serve populations on either side of state lines. The freedom to practice where applicants want—given they demonstrate minimum competency first—is a key incentive for new and existing lawyers to serve clientele in all corners of Wisconsin and its neighboring jurisdictions.
As these examples show, a portable score does more than allow applicants to cross jurisdictional boundaries. It upholds a mission NCBE and jurisdictions share: to give lawyers the opportunity to provide fair, reliable, and competent legal services to members of the public, regardless of their geographic location.
Conclusion
Wisconsin will soon become the 42nd member of a compact of UBE jurisdictions that uphold score portability as a fair and defensible avenue to practicing law. In doing so, the jurisdiction remains committed to upholding its long-held standards for new lawyers and those looking to further their careers in Wisconsin.
[1] Wisconsin Court System, “Wisconsin Supreme Court adopts Uniform Bar Examination, expands path to practice in state” (March 24, 2026), available at https://www.wicourts.gov/news/view.jsp?id=1752.
[2] Id.
[3] State Bar of Wisconsin, Shannon Green, “State of the Judiciary: Chief Justice Ziegler Highlights Lawyer Shortage, Judicial Security” (November 14, 2024), available at https://www.wisbar.org/NewsPublications/Pages/General-Article.aspx?ArticleID=30730.