Bar Exam?


mira

Hello. I will graduate from the Law School in May 2009 with an LLM in International Human Rights. I wanna sit for the New York Bar Exam. However, I read that I need two extra courses in American Law since all the courses I took are not in American Law. I made sure of that. Does anyone know if there is a possibility of taking those 2 courses for just one semester without bein enrolled in any university? And they said the courses should be included in a program of studies. But if I already pursued an American program of studies in the US, do you think I will qualify for the Bar Exam though I take those courses on a one off basis. If you can' t answer me, does anyone know an email adress so that I can ask my questions to someone? Those who replied to me in the NY Bar Exam office could not help me a lot. Thanks a lot!

Hello. I will graduate from the Law School in May 2009 with an LLM in International Human Rights. I wanna sit for the New York Bar Exam. However, I read that I need two extra courses in American Law since all the courses I took are not in American Law. I made sure of that. Does anyone know if there is a possibility of taking those 2 courses for just one semester without bein enrolled in any university? And they said the courses should be included in a program of studies. But if I already pursued an American program of studies in the US, do you think I will qualify for the Bar Exam though I take those courses on a one off basis. If you can' t answer me, does anyone know an email adress so that I can ask my questions to someone? Those who replied to me in the NY Bar Exam office could not help me a lot. Thanks a lot!
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koala

Hello. I will graduate from the Law School in May 2009 with an LLM in International Human Rights. I wanna sit for the New York Bar Exam. However, I read that I need two extra courses in American Law since all the courses I took are not in American Law. I made sure of that. Does anyone know if there is a possibility of taking those 2 courses for just one semester without bein enrolled in any university? And they said the courses should be included in a program of studies. But if I already pursued an American program of studies in the US, do you think I will qualify for the Bar Exam though I take those courses on a one off basis. If you can' t answer me, does anyone know an email adress so that I can ask my questions to someone? Those who replied to me in the NY Bar Exam office could not help me a lot. Thanks a lot!


Hi Mira. I would suggest that you check directly with the NY board of examiners. My understanding is that sometimes they can be more flexible... for example if you come from a common law jurisdiction. I wrote them two years ago to tell them that I was coming from a civil law jurisdiction but had qualified as a solicitor in England and they replied that in some instances they could take any relevant experience/courses to assess whether candidates could take the NY Bar exam. I did not pursue at the time but there may be some opening. Check this with them...

<blockquote>Hello. I will graduate from the Law School in May 2009 with an LLM in International Human Rights. I wanna sit for the New York Bar Exam. However, I read that I need two extra courses in American Law since all the courses I took are not in American Law. I made sure of that. Does anyone know if there is a possibility of taking those 2 courses for just one semester without bein enrolled in any university? And they said the courses should be included in a program of studies. But if I already pursued an American program of studies in the US, do you think I will qualify for the Bar Exam though I take those courses on a one off basis. If you can' t answer me, does anyone know an email adress so that I can ask my questions to someone? Those who replied to me in the NY Bar Exam office could not help me a lot. Thanks a lot!</blockquote>

Hi Mira. I would suggest that you check directly with the NY board of examiners. My understanding is that sometimes they can be more flexible... for example if you come from a common law jurisdiction. I wrote them two years ago to tell them that I was coming from a civil law jurisdiction but had qualified as a solicitor in England and they replied that in some instances they could take any relevant experience/courses to assess whether candidates could take the NY Bar exam. I did not pursue at the time but there may be some opening. Check this with them...
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Hedek

double post sorry

double post sorry
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Hedek

Hi Mira, in the unfortunate case that none of the courses you've taken qualify, several law schools allow you to take the credits you need during the subsequent summer session.

For example, straight from Georgetown's website:
"Full-time LL.M. students who have paid two consecutive semesters of full-time tuition may enroll in the immediately following Summer or Fall session at the Law Center to complete their degree requirements at no additional charge. Tuition will be charged on a per credit basis for any credits exceeding the credits required for the degree."
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/graduate/LLMacademicFAQs.htm

So technically you'd still be enrolled in the same LLM program. And if the law school agrees to report the grades of these extra credits taken during summer on the same grade transcript as the rest of your LLM, you should be fine for the NY bar requirements. You'll have to ask your law school to confirm.

Hi Mira, in the unfortunate case that none of the courses you've taken qualify, several law schools allow you to take the credits you need during the subsequent summer session.

For example, straight from Georgetown's website:
"Full-time LL.M. students who have paid two consecutive semesters of full-time tuition may enroll in the immediately following Summer or Fall session at the Law Center to complete their degree requirements at no additional charge. Tuition will be charged on a per credit basis for any credits exceeding the credits required for the degree."
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/graduate/LLMacademicFAQs.htm

So technically you'd still be enrolled in the same LLM program. And if the law school agrees to report the grades of these extra credits taken during summer on the same grade transcript as the rest of your LLM, you should be fine for the NY bar requirements. You'll have to ask your law school to confirm.</blockquote>
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Pizo

Hey guys!

I am thinking of attendíng Georgetown's LL.M. program and afterwards sitting in for the NY Bar. Now I read e.g. on www.thelawjournal.co.uk as well as on other sites

"Georgetown University is not recommended for bar examination"

Why? On Georgetown's official Website I can find nothing which would oppose passing an LLM at Georgetown and then passing the NY Bar - am I wrong?!

Thanks for your replies!

Hey guys!

I am thinking of attendíng Georgetown's LL.M. program and afterwards sitting in for the NY Bar. Now I read e.g. on www.thelawjournal.co.uk as well as on other sites

"Georgetown University is not recommended for bar examination"

Why? On Georgetown's official Website I can find nothing which would oppose passing an LLM at Georgetown and then passing the NY Bar - am I wrong?!

Thanks for your replies!
quote
Hedek

Hey guys!

I am thinking of attendíng Georgetown's LL.M. program and afterwards sitting in for the NY Bar. Now I read e.g. on www.thelawjournal.co.uk as well as on other sites

"Georgetown University is not recommended for bar examination"

Why? On Georgetown's official Website I can find nothing which would oppose passing an LLM at Georgetown and then passing the NY Bar - am I wrong?!

Thanks for your replies!


Hi Pizo, thelawjournal.co.uk cites AUAP's ranking which is considered worthless and unreliable (see http://www.llm-guide.com/board/68438 ).

The idea that "Georgetown LLM is not recommended to sit the bar" comes from Georgetown's own FAQ (see
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions/GradFAQs.htm#CareerProfessional also explained here: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions/GradCareerServices.htm)

I'll quote the full Q&A:
If I am an international student, can I take a bar exam after I earn my LL.M.?
Many of our LL.M. students who received their first degree in law in a foreign country choose to take a U.S. bar exam, usually the New York bar exam, upon completion of their LL.M. at Georgetown. Your academic advisor will work with you to help you select the courses needed to qualify for the bar exam, as part of designing your overall course of study.

Please note that while bar membership can be a useful credential for many international lawyers, for students whose primary goal is to become a U.S. lawyer, Georgetown Law advises them to consider earning a JD, as that is the basic credential most sought after by U.S. law firms and other legal employers.

In other words, an LLM no matter which law school you get it from, including Harvard Yale and Stanford, is not a sufficient preparation for the NY bar. Even more so if you come from a civil law country. You'll be at a serious disadvantage compared to JD graduates who spent 3 years extensively studying basic courses such as Torts, Contracts and Property which is mostly what the NY bar is about.

This warning applies to any law school. Yet the morons at AUAP instead of doing extensive research just conclude that Georgetown is the only law school that is not recommended for the NY bar exam, hence sanctioning them for simply being honest about it.

More info here: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/international/NYB.htm

And a list of courses which grant eligibility for the NY bar: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/graduate/documents/Bar-approvedcoursesNYMarch2006edited2008.pdf

In practice, international students attempt it at the fall session following their LLM, and spend the summer preparing for it (they buy the books and sometimes take prep courses).

For what it's worth, Georgetown JD students apparently have a 91% bar passage rate (same as Yale and UVA for instance).
http://www.cooley.edu/rankings/search/report-byfactor-generate.php?factor=FirstTimeBarPassagePercentage&sortby=&;

<blockquote>Hey guys!

I am thinking of attendíng Georgetown's LL.M. program and afterwards sitting in for the NY Bar. Now I read e.g. on www.thelawjournal.co.uk as well as on other sites

"Georgetown University is not recommended for bar examination"

Why? On Georgetown's official Website I can find nothing which would oppose passing an LLM at Georgetown and then passing the NY Bar - am I wrong?!

Thanks for your replies!</blockquote>

Hi Pizo, thelawjournal.co.uk cites AUAP's ranking which is considered worthless and unreliable (see http://www.llm-guide.com/board/68438 ).

The idea that "Georgetown LLM is not recommended to sit the bar" comes from Georgetown's own FAQ (see
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions/GradFAQs.htm#CareerProfessional also explained here: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions/GradCareerServices.htm)

I'll quote the full Q&A:
<i><b>If I am an international student, can I take a bar exam after I earn my LL.M.?</b>
Many of our LL.M. students who received their first degree in law in a foreign country choose to take a U.S. bar exam, usually the New York bar exam, upon completion of their LL.M. at Georgetown. Your academic advisor will work with you to help you select the courses needed to qualify for the bar exam, as part of designing your overall course of study.

Please note that while bar membership can be a useful credential for many international lawyers, for students whose primary goal is to become a U.S. lawyer, Georgetown Law advises them to consider earning a JD, as that is the basic credential most sought after by U.S. law firms and other legal employers. </i>

In other words, an LLM no matter which law school you get it from, including Harvard Yale and Stanford, is not a sufficient preparation for the NY bar. Even more so if you come from a civil law country. You'll be at a serious disadvantage compared to JD graduates who spent 3 years extensively studying basic courses such as Torts, Contracts and Property which is mostly what the NY bar is about.

This warning applies to any law school. Yet the morons at AUAP instead of doing extensive research just conclude that Georgetown is the only law school that is not recommended for the NY bar exam, hence sanctioning them for simply being honest about it.

More info here: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/international/NYB.htm

And a list of courses which grant eligibility for the NY bar: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/graduate/documents/Bar-approvedcoursesNYMarch2006edited2008.pdf

In practice, international students attempt it at the fall session following their LLM, and spend the summer preparing for it (they buy the books and sometimes take prep courses).

For what it's worth, Georgetown JD students apparently have a 91% bar passage rate (same as Yale and UVA for instance).
http://www.cooley.edu/rankings/search/report-byfactor-generate.php?factor=FirstTimeBarPassagePercentage&sortby=&
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