Admission to the bar in the United States is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each US state and similar jurisdiction (e.g. territories under federal control) has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission (or privilege to practice law), which can lead to different admission standards among states. In most cases, a person who is "admitted" to the bar is thereby a "member" of the particular bar.
In the canonical case, lawyers seeking admission must earn a Juris Doctor degree from a law school approved by the jurisdiction, and then pass a bar exam administered by it. Typically, there is also a character and fitness evaluation, which includes a background check. However there are exceptions to each of these requirements.
A lawyer who is admitted in one state is not automatically allowed to practice in any other. Some states have reciprocal agreements that allow attorneys from other states to practice without sitting for another full bar exam; such agreements differ significantly among the states.
Read more about Admission To The Bar In The United States: Terminology, General Requirements For Admission, Tactical Considerations Regarding Admission in Multiple States, Types of State Bar Associations, Federal Courts, Apprenticeship Issue, Character and Fitness, Admission Formalities, Incidents of Admission
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“To be rich is to have a ticket of admission to the masterworks and chief men of each race. It is to have the sea, by voyaging; to visit the mountains, Niagara, the Nile, the desert, Rome, Paris, Constantinople: to see galleries, libraries, arsenals, manufactories.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“On the whole, yes, I would rather be the Chief Justice of the United States, and a quieter life than that which becomes at the White House is more in keeping with the temperament, but when taken into consideration that I go into history as President, and my children and my children’s children are the better placed on account of that fact, I am inclined to think that to be President well compensates one for all the trials and criticisms he has to bear and undergo.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
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—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
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—Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
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—Ashley Montagu (b. 1905)
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—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)