Hello,

I am doing a master degree on Environmental and natural resources law at US certificate program, but all my classes are more specific on the environmental field. I know that I can't do the NY bar because they ask for at least for courses like public responsibility, constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, family law inter alia.

I was looking for the california bar, but the rules for 2012-2013 are not so clear. I am not sure if they require only one course on the 4 state tested area or are 4 as well. Please if you know, let me know. I would appreciate it.

Also, I would like to know which is the best bar preparation course for LLM for the california bar the barbri or kaplan. Or if there is another better for LLM please let me know. Thank you.

Please reply only if you know.

I did my LL.M. in CA. I know that the requirements for the CA bar are more strict than for the NY bar. I personally took the prep course of LLMBAREXAM which is designed for LLMs who have mostly no clue about the american law and it provides a personal tutor which helped for me.

I did my LL.M. in CA. I know that the requirements for the CA bar are more strict than for the NY bar. I personally took the prep course of LLMBAREXAM which is designed for LLMs who have mostly no clue about the american law and it provides a personal tutor which helped for me.

Well, CA bar and NY bar are equally grueling. However, the standards to appear for the two are totally different. CA does not even need an ABA accredited law school degree to appear in the bar exam. CA will even let foreign attorneys sit for the bar without an LL.M. You can even appear for the CA bar with a credential evaluation of your foreign law degree. NY now has substantive legal course requirements well in excess of the ABA standards. Btw, you need to thank ABA for the course requirements, they saw law jobs dropping and decided to tighten up regulations. Now, read WSJ on why these actions are necessary. Profitable partners who don't meet the firm average at big law firms are being let go of. Associates being let go is now old news.

However, sitting for the bar and passing the bar exam are different aspects of the game. If you are taking the bar after an LL.M. and you want to appear for the CA bar there are no additional requirements. Well not so much in terms of the courses you need to take. The requirements are more in terms of your certificate of good standing and so on if you are enrolled as an advocate in a different jurisdiction.

So, please don't confuse the two. CA bar even lets people sit without a law degree. They have the take the baby bar and other such criteria. CA will treat you as a lawyer if you pass the bar and baby bar and have sufficient legal training.

Hope this helps. So CA will be the new NY for foreign LLM's this year.

I still think that a LL.M. is a requirement for the CA bar exam for foreigners. CA has recently changed the requirements, so that it is still easier to qualify for the NY bar than CA.

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/California_Bar_Examination_Requirements_for_Professional_LLM_Students.pdf

I think I have the same situation, I was considering the CA bar, but I heard that it is the hardest bar in the US, so I am note sure what are my chances passing it, also, I heard that if u take the bar in CA no other state would accept that, so if u live in another state u have to take that state's bar, is that true ? so all these things are confusing me. As for their requirements, you can contact their office, they will guide you step by step. I called them and they told me that u need 12 credits of the tested materials, one of which has to be the CA prof responsibility. I believe you should call them just to make sure.

CA bar does not require an LLM if you have a first law degree from a common law country and you are admitted to practice in that country. You do however have to go through a process of credential evaluation to identify if the first law degree is equivalent to a CA degree.

Lots of people take the CA bar without an LL.M. Don't understand why the rumor mills keep churning. It's not an easy exam to pass though. CA bar does not have any specific subjects you need in LL.M., just an LL.M. is enough if you don't want to go through equivalency evaluation of your first law degree.

Equivalency evaluation is $300 to $1000. LL.M. is way more expensive. So, don't decide to do an LL.M., because you read some pdf on some university website. Do, your own research.