Applicant Portal and Other Follow-Up

Any change or addition to your application must be made in writing and submitted via your Applicant Portal or by mail.   You may amend your application by completing and submitting the appropriate Supplemental Form. You must also provide any required documentation, as indicated on the supplemental form.

The Applicant Portal, sometimes referred to as the Portal, is a secure site that allows applicants for admission to the Minnesota bar to share information with the Board office after their application has been submitted and is pending. It is separate from the Online Bar Application. The Board posts requests to an applicant on the Portal and the applicant can respond and upload documents.

The process is automated when applying through the Online Bar Application.  After you submit your application and it is accepted by the Board (usually within two business days), you will receive an email notifying you that you have a new post in your Applicant Portal.  Visit https://portal.ble.mn.gov and log into your Applicant Portal using your same username and password from the Online Bar Application.

Your Applicant Portal will be opened once the Board of Law Examiners’ staff has accepted your application. You will receive an email notification once it is activated. Please check your Portal at least once per week to avoid delays in processing your application.

Go to https://portal.ble.mn.gov and sign in as a “Returning User.” You must have the user name and password that you used for the Online Bar Application.

Your user name can be found on the first page of the PDF of your Online Bar Application, on the right side of the Section 1 header.

If you are unable to resolve the issue, you can call the Board office to obtain your user name.

Go to https://portal.ble.mn.gov. Under “Returning User” click on “Reset Password” located under the “Log In” button. An email will be sent to the email address that is on file with the Board office. If you do not see an email in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folder. If you have a new email address, please inform the Board office.

Please note that once you have submitted your application, resetting your Online Bar Application password will NOT reset your Applicant Portal password.  You must follow the instructions above.

The system will send an automated email on the day a new item is posted. Only one email is sent per day, no matter how many new items have been posted. For example, if you have five new items on your Applicant Portal in one day, you will only receive one notification email. You will also see a “New” beside any new items.

Some email servers send the automated emails to spam folders.  It is important that you check your Portal at least once per week, even if you don’t receive any email notifications from the Board office, to avoid any delays in processing your application.

Make sure the email address that you provided to the Board office is still correct. Also make sure to add the following email address to your contact list or spam filter whitelist: noreplyboardoflawexaminers@mbcle.state.mn.us. It is your responsibility to check the Applicant Portal on a regular basis and provide timely responses, even if you do not receive an email notification.

Most information will be found under the Applicant “To Do” List or the Board Office Correspondence section of your Applicant Portal. Click on the item to see the request. Letters and information will be found under the Board Office Correspondence section. Items that you have not seen will be marked “New.”

When you click on a “To Do” item, it will open up a window with the request at the top of the page. If you want to respond, type your response in the “Response” field at the bottom of the page and click “Post Response.” You must also check the box that states, “I swear or affirm that this supplement to my application is true and correct.” You can also attach a document at the same time you respond.

If the item was requested via your Applicant Portal, open that “To Do” item and follow the instructions to submit the document. You must also check the box that states, “I swear or affirm that this supplement to may application is true and correct.”

See the section on the bottom right of the Portal that states, “If you have a document to submit to the Board which is NOT RELATED to an item in your To Do list, use this upload feature.” Click “Upload” to get to a new screen where you can browse and upload your document.

You can type the question(s) in a Word document or the General Response form found on the Board’s website. Then, upload your document on the bottom right of the Portal by clicking the “Upload” button.  Your application processor will likely create a To Do List item containing their response(s), and if you have any follow-up questions you will be able to respond to that new item.

15 MB.

Yes. Document names can be no longer than 150 characters.

The files that can be uploaded to the Applicant Portal are: .doc, .docx, .jpg, .pdf, or .tif.

Historically, the vast majority of successful exam applicants are cleared in time to participate in the admission ceremony, and motion applications have taken an average of 3 to 6 months to process.

However, the process may take longer if you do not initially provide complete information in response to each application section and question, attach complete records as required by any supplemental forms, provide timely responses to the Board’s requests for additional information, or if there are issues in your past that require further investigation. To expedite the investigation, we recommend carefully reviewing your application before submission to ensure that you are providing all requested information and records, and checking your Portal frequently to address any additional requests from the Board after you have applied.

No. The Board office processes all files as expeditiously as possible and is cognizant that many applicants seek to be admitted as soon as possible. The Board office also receives more than 1,200 applications per year and is committed to processing them in a fair and equitable manner, without placing one applicant “ahead” of another. The best way to expedite your application is to be thorough and complete in your application, provide your references with notice that they may receive an inquiry and to respond promptly if they do, to check your portal regularly for any additional requests, and to provide prompt and complete responses to any requests that are posted. Frequent inquiries on the status of your file will not result in your file moving faster and will slow down the process for all applicants.

Submitting an incomplete application will cause delay in processing, so applicants should make every effort to submit everything required at the time of application.  The Online Bar Application is designed to request from you the general information and documents that are necessary to facilitate the processing and initial review of your application, and will not permit you to submit your application unless certain required information is provided. If you are missing something or additional information is required after you have submitted your application, a request will be posted to your Applicant Portal. Failure to provide requested information or documents with your application will delay the processing of your application.

The Board office frequently receives inquiries about application status or timeline following responses to outstanding items that should have been submitted with the application.  This includes situations where the To Do List in an applicant’s portal has consisted of numerous requests to address application deficiencies related to missing information or documents.  Completion of the To Do List in those circumstances does not indicate that your file is on the verge of completion; it merely provides the Board office with the information that should have initially been provided with your application and allows Board staff to begin any aspects of the review process that have been delayed. 

Check your applicant portal frequently and respond in a timely matter.

Ensure that you carefully read and make diligent efforts to comply with any records requests. For example, a request for court and police records will typically require contacting two separate offices, and a docket printout or register of actions will not satisfy a request for copies of filed documents such as complaints or orders. Obtain verifying documentation from the records holder if records are unavailable as this is requested by the Board office.

Contact your references and recent employers listed in your application and let them know that they may receive a character questionnaire from our office in the mail. Non-responsive references often delay the application process.

The Board receives over 1,200 applications per year and each application processor is helping many applicants. The quickest way to get a response is to post a question on your Applicant Portal. When appropriate, the processor may also respond to a voicemail via the Applicant Portal instead of returning your call, so check your portal to see if a response is there. If you do not receive a response from your processor by the end of the next business day and the matter is time sensitive, you can contact the Board office at ble@mbcle.state.mn.us to check on the status. Your application processor is uniquely familiar with your file in a way that other staff will not be, so if a response is delayed in a situation that is not time sensitive, you may be referred to your processor and we appreciate your patience in waiting for a reply.  There are many reasons why a response may be delayed.  Questions that are more complicated, such as those requiring review of documents, attorney approval, or which relate to unique or situational difficulties with following the Board’s standard processes, will generally require a longer response time.

The Board office receives thousands of documents per year, which are then scanned or saved into applicant files, processed, and reviewed. If the status of the To Do List item has changed to “In Review,” and that change was not because you replied to the item (which will itself cause the status to change to In Review), then the document was likely received. If the status still shows “Outstanding” or “Incomplete,” and there is not a follow up request from Board staff that caused it to be marked Incomplete, it is possible that it was not received. You may wish to reply to the To Do List item to ask your processor whether it was received if you believe that the document should have been received more than a week ago.

Submit a written request for an extension through your portal either responding to the portal item or uploading a letter prior to the deadline.  Your request should briefly explain the situation and your efforts to complete the request (including dates).  This most commonly occurs when a Department of Motor Vehicles, criminal history agency, or court has a turnaround time for records requests that may extend past the portal deadline.  Board staff routinely grants 30-day extensions in circumstances where applicants have been diligent in submitting the necessary requests to the agency and are waiting for the response.

Applicants whose completed To Do List items were related to information or documents that were requested in the bar application and were not initially provided should first review FAQ #20 above.

If there are no requests to you currently pending in the To Do List of your Portal, then the Board does not currently need any additional information from you, but please recall your continuing obligation to update your application with any changes.  This typically means that your application and/or other information received during the investigation is being processed and reviewed by Board staff.  As information is received and reviewed, there may be a need for further information or questions.  Until that process is finished, the Board office cannot advise as to when a file may be done, and we also cannot predict whether there will be any developments or updates submitted in the future pursuant to an applicant’s continuing obligation to update their application.  If any additional information or documents are needed from you, a request will be posted to your Applicant Portal.

It depends on the task.  If we have not received your conferral of degree, an acceptable authorization and release, an acceptable photo and signed photo ID card, and two acceptable character affidavits by the applicable deadlines, you will not be able to sit for the exam.  These items are required by Rules 4B and 4C.

If we have received the above items but you have incomplete tasks related to character and fitness or other administrative deficiencies, you may sit for the exam. However, failing to promptly address those matters after the bar exam will delay your admission to the bar.  See the next FAQ for additional details.

Not following up on outstanding items until after results are posted is the most common reason that applicants who pass the exam are unable to attend the admission ceremony.  This happens to some applicants after every bar exam.

While the Board encourages applicants to focus on studying for the examination and automatically extends deadlines for To Do List items in the month before the exam, the Board strongly discourages waiting until the results have been posted to provide a response.  If attending the admission ceremony is important to you, it is important that you respond to the outstanding items and any follow-up requests after the exam.  If you have received a reminder post on your portal about this topic and linking you to this FAQ, prompt responses are strongly encouraged if attending the admission ceremony is important to you.

If your file is not complete when the results letter posts, you will receive a letter indicating that you have outstanding character and fitness items to address.  The window of time between the results letter and the ceremony is short, and there are often numerous applicants making last-minute submissions all at once.  Board staff does not have the capacity to process and fully review all of those submissions and issues in time.  Many responses also result in follow-up requests, whether for substantive reasons or because the response appears to be frantic and rushed and contains deficiencies to resolve.

Please also be advised that exam results are released to examinees shortly after the meeting at which the Board approves them, and the Board’s next meeting does not occur until after the admission ceremony.  If your file contains significant character and fitness issues and needs to be reviewed at a Board meeting, but you do not complete your To Do List items until after results are released, it is not possible to receive a determination until after the admission ceremony.  In short, your best chance of attending the ceremony is to provide timely and complete responses to inquiries and to continue updating the Board on any matters inquired about in the application.

Yes, you need to disclose all charges and citations that occur between the bar examination and admission to the bar.  Whether it is a minor traffic ticket or you were arrested for a DWI or other criminal matter, all new matters must be disclosed.

The Board’s investigation process includes sending character questionnaires to various current and former supervisors, character references, attorney references, and/or solo practice references.  If one or more of the individuals contacted do not respond within several weeks, the portal will automatically post a request to the applicant, asking them to contact the recipient and request that they complete the questionnaire or to provide updated contact information so Board staff can resend it.

The purpose of posting these automated requests in the applicant portal is to expedite application processing timelines.  While the Board understands that an applicant may or may not have had recent contact with certain individuals, applicants are still better positioned overall to succeed in getting ahold of their own current or former professional contacts.  Board staff also send thousands of questionnaires every year.  Enlisting applicants’ assistance in receiving those back or learning where they should be resent speeds up application processing for everyone.

References and supervisors who are having trouble accessing the Character Questionnaire Portal, or who are having trouble while in the Portal, should send an email to ble@mbcle.state.mn.us describing the issue they are having and including any applicable screenshots of the issue. They should also include the CQ Code and Applicant Last Name as listed in the character questionnaire email they received.

Yes. It is likely that you or they may receive follow-up requests from the Board as well. The Board will still accept, and appreciate receiving, the questionnaire even if it is submitted after the requested by date.

If the Board office did not receive the response by the date requested in the form, it is likely the Board attempted to reach them again. If they submitted the questionnaire electronically, it is very likely it has been received. If they opted to mail the questionnaire, they can call the Board office to confirm receipt. If more than three weeks have passed since the request was sent and the Board has not received the response, an action item will appear in your portal requesting your assistance in reaching out the contact.  If the item is marked complete, the Board office has received the response.

During its investigation process, the Board will obtain a copy of your law school application.  If it reveals that you failed to disclose matters to the Board, you will be asked about those nondisclosures.  If it appears that you failed to properly disclose matters in your law school application (after accounting for the fact those questions may differ from the Board’s), you will also be asked about those nondisclosures.  This includes any matters that occurred during law school and required you to amend your application or otherwise notify the school.  If it appears that you have under-disclosed an incident or selectively disclosed certain details, in either your law school application or bar application, you may also be asked about that.

During or after these questions, you may also be asked to provide a complete and candid disclosure to your law school, as well as a letter from the law school to the Board office regarding its receipt and consideration of your amendments.  This is a standard practice in the event of more serious or numerous nondisclosures.  Such issues will be reviewed in context with other issues in an applicant’s file, which may result in additional inquiries regarding the applicant’s honesty and candor.

Hearing about an incident in the applicant’s own words is an important part of the Board’s process for many reasons, including:

• An applicant’s description may provide important context or details that do not appear in the relevant records.
• An applicant’s description may show how their perspective on certain events differs from others involved and how that may have impacted their behavior.
• An applicant’s description may directly or indirectly include their reflections on an incident, in a manner that can be relevant to their rehabilitation.

An extremely brief narrative about a major issue does not provide any of the insights noted above.  The same is typically true of a narrative that tends to skip over a description of the actual events or conduct and merely recite the consequences that resulted from it.  While the Board understands that certain incidents and conduct may be regretted and unpleasant to discuss, the applicants who are most clearly able to show their rehabilitation from past issues are often those who can openly and directly address those issues and what has changed.

If there are issue(s) in an applicant’s file that could raise a concern relevant to one or more of the Essential Eligibility Requirements, the Board’s typical practice is to request that the applicant write a detailed statement about their ability to meet those requirements.  This request is made to dozens of applicants per year.  It provides the applicant an opportunity to directly discuss the applicable standards for admission, why they believe they meet them, provide helpful examples, address causes for concern, and provide additional evidence of rehabilitation.  The applicant’s written statement will be considered at the time a determination is made on their file.  It is not a closing argument, but sometimes ends up serving a similar purpose for some applicants.  See FAQs #2-4 for more information about the Essential Eligibility Requirements.

No. You must reapply through the Online Bar Application and a new Applicant Portal will be created for that application. Your previous Applicant Portal will remain closed and you will need to access the Portal using the login credentials from your new application.

If you were unsuccessful on the bar exam, your Applicant Portal will be deactivated 10 days after you receive your results letter. If you wish to reapply, you will need to reapply through the Online Bar Application and a new Applicant Portal will be created from that application. If you were successful on the bar exam, your Applicant Portal will remain open until you are admitted or your application is closed.  You must be admitted within one year of the date of your recommendation.  You have a continuing obligation to update your application until you are admitted.