Hi,
I am presently working on trade remedies in my home country, and am looking for some guidance on the following.

1. Considering Washington DC is one of the three world centres for world trade, does passing the District of Columbia Bar exam in any way promote ones chances of working with the international trade law firms in Washington DC.
2. It seems the eligibility criteria is 26 semester hours from a ABA accredited US Law School in subjects related to the bar exam. Is it remotely possible to fulfill this obligation through an LLM.
3. Considering my interest in international trade , LLM from Georgetown was my first choice. Does Georgetown benefit or prejudice in any way the chances of clearing the DC bar (for example does not offer to LLM candidates the subjects required by the DC Bar or limits the max credit in such fashion so as to prejudice any chances)

Would look forward to some guidance here. At sea with this, and nothin available on the net seems specific enough.

I'm not certain it's possible to sit the DC bar exam with just an LL.M. In theory though, under rule 46.b.4, it seems possible. Unless the DC court of appeals makes a distinction between "law schools not approved by the ABA" and foreign law schools.
source: http://www.dcappeals.gov/dccourts/docs/rule46b_admission_by_examination_rev.pdf
Since you're interested in Georgetown, you should probably contact graduate admissions (llmadmis@law.georgetown.edu) and ask about it.

Furthermore, I wonder whether many lawyers actually attempt the DC bar exam. A common strategy (for portability and larger market access) is to pass the bar in another state (in most cases New York, Virignia, or Marlyand) and then gain admittance to the DC bar on motion.
see: http://www.dcappeals.gov/dccourts/docs/rule46c3_admission_on_motion-without_exam.pdf

Georgetown is an excellent choice for your field. I see no reasons why it would impair your prospects, quite the contrary. But in this economy, don't expect recruiters to be at your feet simply because you graduated from there.
DC being the most competitive legal market in the US, the only reasonable bets to "crack" it as a foreigner without a US JD are Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.

Of course, these are cold generalizations. Many factors can skew the actual outcome: your work experience, networking, interviewing skills, etc.

Related thread: http://www.llm-guide.com/board/43259

Good luck.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for the informtion.
I referred to Rule 46. It seems Clause A and Clause B have to be cumulatively satisfied , which means the waiver for the DC bar applies to LLB/JDs from ABA approved schools alone. Am I reading it wrong or does that mean the waiver/motion provisions do not apply to a foreign law school LLBs like me.

Regards,
Platin

I think you need a 133 on the MBE (and to pass whatever state you're taking) to waive in; but, I'm not sure whether the rule applies to foreign law graduates certified to write New York, to take a common example.

It is my understanding that if one does NOT have a J.D. from a USA ABA approved law school, one CANNOT waive into D.C. Bar membership by motion. It is not enough to pass another U.S. bar. One has to take the DC bar exam if one does not have a USA JD to start with.
If you plan to take the DC Bar, be careful with what courses you take. They are very particular as to the subject matter of the 26 hours. Read their subject matter list carefully. Do not take anything with the word "international" in it.