Judicial branch launches first stage of new attorney admissions portal

TOPEKA—The Kansas judicial branch launched Monday a new portal aimed at streamlining and updating the admissions process for prospective Kansas attorneys.

Rollout of the portal began with three Supreme Court Rule application forms, Rule 716: Admission to the Bar by Examination, Rule 717: Admission to the Bar by Uniform Bar Examination Score Transfer, and Rule 719: Admission to the Bar Without Examination. 

“One of our goals was improving the admissions experience for applicants,” said Laurel Klein Searles, chief of compliance and attorney services. “We can manage all phases of the admissions process through the portal, saving both applicants and our attorney admissions office significant time and effort.” 

The attorney admissions process involves collecting extensive information about applicants, including where they’ve lived, employment history, education, past interactions with the courts, finances, and certificates of character and fitness from personal references.

Although these documents can be filled out electronically, some must be printed to be signed or notarized before submission. On the portal, these documents can remain digital.

“We can manage the documents through the portal and use digital signatures and certificates when needed, eliminating the need for printing,” said Amanda Kohlman, attorney admissions program manager.

Kohlman said an additional benefit for applicants is having a single place where they can manage their information. Applicants can see their submitted documents, check their application status, receive notifications, and communicate with the admissions office.

Kohlman said the portal provides many of the same benefits for the admissions office.

“We can complete our review process entirely in the portal,” Kohlman said. “We can upload and send bar exam results, check references, review documents, take notes, and quickly see the application status. If there is missing or unclear information, we can easily flag it and notify the applicant through the portal.”

Applicants can access the portal at admissions.kscourts.gov.