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Supreme Court of Georgia
Office of Bar Admissions

Instructions for Filing Petition for Waiver of Educational Requirements

Pursuant to the Waiver Process and Policy of the Board of Bar Examiners, as approved by the Supreme Court of Georgia, applicants seeking a waiver of the Educational Requirements of Part B, Section 4 (a), (b), or (c) of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia must provide the following to the Office of Bar Admissions:

  1. A statement as to why the applicant does not meet the standard (e.g., why the applicant does not have an undergraduate degree or qualifying J.D. degree, or why the LL.M. applicant is not currently authorized to practice law in a foreign jurisdiction);
  2. A thorough description of the applicant’s relevant educational history (schools attended, course of study and curriculum with transcripts of educational achievement from those schools, and letters of reference, particularly from law faculty);
  3. Documentation of any postgraduate legal education (e.g., LL.M. or S.J.D. degrees);
  4. Documentation of membership of the bar of another state or another country, if applicable;
  5. Description of employment history, particularly any law-related employment (if a member of the bar in another state or another country, a description of legal practice and any significant achievements in the practice of law);
  6. For applicants seeking a waiver of Part B, Section 4 (b), a “Dean’s” letter, which is a statement from a Dean or the Dean’s designee on the faculty at an ABA-approved law school analyzing the legal education received and stating whether or not it is the equivalent of an ABA-approved legal education;1
  7. A statement of the applicant’s career goals and whether or not the applicant has obtained law-related employment in Georgia; and
  8. A narrative statement, signed by the applicant, as to why the applicant believes that good cause to support a waiver has been shown by clear and convincing evidence (as required by Part F, Section 5 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia), and any other documentation, material, or information that the applicant feels is relevant to the establishment of good cause.

These documents should be provided in the order listed above, and each document should be separately identified. Applicants who wish to submit a waiver petition must first register with our office by creating an online account. Once the applicant has created that account, they must send an email to GABarAdmissions@gasupreme.us to request that a waiver petition form be added to their User Homepage. After the applicant has filled out the form and paid the nonrefundable $250 waiver petition fee, the applicant will be able to upload their formal waiver petition and all supporting documentation.

1The Guidelines for Dean’s Letter document provides direction on the purpose and scope of the Dean’s Letter.