Instructions for Completing the Orientation to the Profession Program

Carefully read and follow all instructions below before viewing the Orientation program video. Failure to do so may cause delays in the admission process.

1. Eligibility: Only candidates for admission to practice by the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department (hereafter “candidates”) who have taken the New York State (NYS) bar examination, including those transferred from another Judicial Department, or candidates who have a pending application before the Appellate Division to be admitted on motion, are eligible to access the Orientation to the Profession video and earn Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits. Candidates who have taken the bar examination need not wait until their application for admission is filed before viewing the Orientation video.
2. User Name and Password: Access to the video requires a user name and password. Any candidate who has taken the NYS bar exam, except for those candidates whose certification has been transferred from another judicial department, will receive a user name and password via a Notice sent to the e-mail address provided by such candidate to the NYS Board of Law Examiners. Any candidate who has not taken the NYS bar exam, or who has transferred from another judicial department, or any candidate who has misplaced a previously provided user name and password, must obtain a user name and password by sending a request by e-mail to the Office of the Committee on Character & Fitness (CCF) at AD1CFC@NYCourts.gov.
3. Embedded Codes: Upon receipt of the user name and password, the program video may be accessed by clicking on the link below and following the instructions. The program is presented in multiple parts, and candidates must watch each video in its entirety, being careful to obtain the codes embedded in, and disclosed during, the course of the presentations. Candidates must ensure that each code is recorded for the purpose of reporting them on the Orientation Program Certificate of Completion, discussed in detail below, which must be submitted as part of the application for admission.
4. Written Program Materials: All candidates are responsible for obtaining the Program Materials for each video presentation. Candidates with questions related to the content of the written materials and/or the video presentations may submit them by e-mail to AD1CFC@NYCourts.gov.
5. Submitting Proof of Completion: Candidates who complete the Orientation program must complete and sign the Certificate of Completion Form and submit the form as part of their application for admission package. The Certificate of Completion should NOT be submitted prior to the filing of an application for admission. Candidates who complete the Orientation program after the initial filing of their application may separately submit the Certificate of Completion to the CCF office upon completion.
6. CLE Certificate of Attendance: Candidates who submit a satisfactory Certificate of Completion will be provided a CLE Certificate of Attendance by the Court. The CLE Certificate serves as proof of the two CLE credits earned by viewing the program and should be retained for purposes of CLE compliance.
7. Program Evaluation Form: All candidates who view the program are asked to complete and submit the Program Evaluation Form via email to the electronic address indicated on the form. The Evaluation Form should not be sent to the CCF office.
8. Exemptions: The following persons are exempt from the orientation requirement: (1) Attorneys who will not will not practice in New York State during the first two (2) years after admission and who submit an Affidavit Pursuant to 22 NYCRR §602.3; (2) attorneys who have been engaged in the practice of law in another state, the District of Columbia, any territory of the United States or any foreign jurisdictions, for the five years preceding admission to the New York Bar; and (3) full-time members of the United States Armed Forces.
9. Waivers: The Chairperson of the Committee “may, in individual cases involving undue hardship or extenuating circumstances… grant waivers and modifications” of the Orientation to the Profession requirement (22 NYCRR 602.3[d]). Requests for waivers may be made in writing and submitted by regular mail to the Committee on Character and Fitness, 41 Madison Avenue, 26th Floor, New York, New York 10010. Applicants are cautioned that waivers are granted only in exceptional circumstances.