New York Bar Exam eligibility
In general, foreign-trained attorneys with a 3 year on-campus undergraduate law degree from most common law countries will be eligible to pass the foreign evaluation and take the bar examination in New York without completing additional coursework at a U.S. law school.
Applicants from English Common Law jurisdictions who followed the “conversion route” by completing the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and the Legal Practice Course (LPC) for Solicitors or the Bar Vocational Course for Barristers must qualify under Court Rule 520.6 (b) (2). Applicants who followed this course of study do not satisfy the durational and substantive requirements under Court Rule 520.6(b)(1).
Foreign-trained attorneys from civil law jurisdictions, or those from common law countries with degrees that do not meet the educational requirements, may be eligible after completing an LL.M. program at a U.S. ABA accredited law school.
To learn more about the New York Bar Examination and the eligibility requirements for foreign-trained attorneys, please visit the official website of the New York Board of Law Examiners of the State of New York (BOLE) and the ”Foreign Legal Education” section of the NY BOLE website.
California Bar Exam eligibility
If you are a qualified lawyer in your home jurisdiction, you will be eligible to sit for the California Bar Exam. If you have a law degree but are not licensed, you may qualify to sit for the bar if you complete an LL.M. with at least 20 credits at an ABA or California accredited school.
As part of those 20 credits, you must take a California professional responsibility class and at least 3 classes must be in subjects that appear on the bar exam.
You can begin the admissions process by registering as a law student or attorney applicant.
You will be asked to provide a social security number when applying for the California Bar Exam. If you do not have a U.S. social security number, you will simply need to complete and submit a social security exemption form.
To learn more about the California Bar Examination and the eligibility requirements for foreign-trained attorneys, please visit the official website of the State Bar of California.
