Greetings,

I have a law degree from the University of London obtained via distance education. I have reviewed the current requirements on the NY bar site but am still a bit confused.

1. Can a US LLM obtained by classroom instruction cure the distance learning deficiency in order to qualify to write the NY bar exam?

2. Would pursuing the California bar exam through completing a US LLM be a more viable option?

Thanks for any insights you may be able to provide.

[Edited by Trini30 on Nov 02, 2019]

1. Can a US LLM obtained by classroom instruction cure the distance learning deficiency in order to quality to write the NY bar exam?

§520.6(b)(1): https://www.nybarexam.org/Rules/Rules.htm#520.6

(ii) Cure provision. An applicant who does not meet the requirements of subparagraph (i)(a) or (i)(b) may cure either the durational or substantive deficiency, but not both, under the following circumstances:

(a) Durational deficiency. If the applicant does not meet the durational requirements of subparagraph (i)(a), the applicant may cure the deficiency by providing satisfactory proof that the applicant has at least two years of foreign legal education that meets the substantive requirements of subparagraph (i)(b) and that the applicant has graduated from an LL.M. degree program at an American Bar Association approved law school in the United States meeting the requirements of subdivision (b)(3) of this section.

[Edited by # on Nov 01, 2019]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to provide this detailed clarification. The matter is now a lot clearer to me.

I will also seek to obtain confirmation from BOLE.

An LLM might cure the in residence deficiency, but the NY BOLE would need to say so. Send in your documents and get a ruling. Getting an LLM would definitely let you take the bar in DC, CA, and a few other states as of right, and NY would probably let you.

I know and have worked with Nigerian lawyers in New York who have degrees from University of London External Program, but they studied in residence with actual brick and mortar colleges as well. None of them have LLMs.

Thanks a lot for providing this very helpful response. I am currently working on providing information requested by NY BOLE. Hoping the authorities in my country reply soon but failing that, I may just do the CA bar.

Are you doing an LLM already? If so, California is an extremely difficult bar exam. With an LLM, there are other states where you can take the bar even if NY says no. Washington state, DC, I think Georgia and North Carolina all have easier bar exams. Have you even decided if you want to live in California or somewhere else? There’s no reason to get a law license somewhere if you aren’t going to practice law there.

No I have been accepted to a few schools for fall 2020. I do not necessarily plan to practice in the US as my field is international law and but being qualified as a lawyer in at least one jurisdiction would be helpful for my career. I haven’t passed any other bar exam as yet. Wow ???? I did hear CA was difficult but not sure what other state only requires 12 credits in us law courses as I do not want my entire LLM to be focused on US law since I want to specialize in international law. I believe DC requires 26 credits, last I checked.

Yes, DC has requirements for its LLM, but they’re all subjects covered on the bar exam anyway. You need a grounding in that stuff before bar prep and cramming all those black letter rules. I think Vermont and Washington state both have rules that allow you to take the bar exam with any ABA-approved LLM. Both of those states have the UBE, and Vermont I believe has the same passing score as DC, which is pretty low. But seriously, the CA bar exam is insanely difficult. I wouldn’t recommend taking it if you’re not going to spend a year intensely studying American black letter law. You need to take evidence, civ pro, family, etc, especially for CA because they have some very peculiar local rules like “community property” and democratic ballot initiatives. In all seriousness, if you’re just looking to collect a bar number from anywhere for arbitration/mediation, practicing federal law or for pure vanity, the do somewhere else than California. And keep in mind that after you’re admitted you need to do Continuing Legal Education classes as set by the state bar, sometimes these require you to be in person and some you can do online on demand through private providers. Either way, jurisdiction rules on those will matter of you are not local. No sense getting a bar number just to lose it later by going out of status.

I think Georgia and North Carolina all have easier bar exams.

California: Applicant must have graduated and be eligible to take the admission exam in his/her foreign country and obtain an additional year of law study in certain courses at an ABA-approved or California-accredited law school in order to qualify to take the California Bar Exam.

Georgia: A lawyer educated at a law school outside of the United States may meet the educational requirements and be eligible to take the exam if the foreign-educated lawyer graduated from a foreign law school that meets the requirements of the Rules; is authorized to practice law in the foreign jurisdiction; and has been awarded, by an ABA-approved law school, an LL.M. that meets the Curricular Criteria for LL.M. Program for the Practice of Law in the United States adopted by the Board of Bar Examiners.

Kentucky: Applicant must still submit to education evaluation but additional degree has bearing on Board decision.

Maine: Applicant’s total education must be found to be substantially equivalent.

Massachusetts: Not automatically, but depends on content (course of study) as well as other facts.

New Hampshire: Not automatically. Applicant must meet other requirements for foreign law school graduates.

New York: In most cases, but there are other factors.

Tennessee: Applicant must prove that undergraduate and law school education are the equivalent of that required by an applicant who attended an ABA-accredited law school or Tennessee law school approved by the Board of Law Examiners. In addition to the LL.M., the applicant must be licensed in the country in which the applicant was educated and have been engaged in the active practice of law for 5 of the 8 years immediately preceding the application.

Texas: An applicant with an initial law degree from a foreign law school not based on English common law must, in part, be authorized to practice law and have a qualifying LL.M. degree. An applicant with an initial law degree from a foreign law school based on English common law must, in part, either have a qualifying LL.M. degree or satisfy a 3-year practice requirement.

Vermont: Graduates of foreign law schools that do not provide the equivalent of an education at an ABA-approved law school can cure that deficiency by obtaining an LL.M. degree at an ABA-approved law school, provided the LL.M. degree meets certain requirements pertaining to the amount and type of credit hours.

Washington: An LL.M. degree for the practice of law must meet certain requirements.

Wisconsin: Applicant must meet and show proof of the following requirements: (a) that the law school was approved in that foreign jurisdiction, (b) that the LL.M. program meets specific minimum requirements pertaining to total semester hours of credit, minutes of instruction, and duration of program, and (c) that the LL.M. program consists of a certain number of semester hours of specified courses. The LL.M. program must be located at an ABA-approved law school and be completed within 24 months of enrollment.

[Edited by # on Dec 03, 2019]

Thanks for providing all this useful information, everyone.

From my reading of the above, I think NY bar may be most appropriate for me. I’ll just work harder on getting the authorities in my country to send the required information to the NY BOLE.

My limitation with taking the bar exam in many US jurisdictions is that I have not being admitted to the practice of law anywhere as yet so I am not a lawyer/attorney. NY and California allow me to sit the bar exam without this requirement. NY is particularly advantageous as I may only need to complete 12 credits in my LLM to be eligible. California also requires 12 credits but their exam seems really hard! DC would have been a good option if 26 credits wasn’t required, as 26 credits would not allow me to focus on international law, where my interest lies.

For international law, I plan to focus on law of the sea (UN Convention on law of the sea), international criminal law, international tribunals and courts, humanitarian law and international human rights law. I do not plan to stay in the US so none of these areas need to be studied in relation to US law. Therefore the location of my llm isn’t that important. All I really want is to be admitted to one jurisdiction so that I’ll be qualified as a lawyer.

About the California bar keep also in mind an additional requirement: One of the courses must be Professional Responsibility that covers the California Rules of Professional Conduct, relevant sections of the California Business and Professions Code (and also the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and leading federal and state case law on the subject).

Therefore, it should be easier to satisfy this requirement within a Californian law school, while it could maybe be possible to do that online => If you do a quick search on this forum, you should be able to find some discussions about that (i.e. https://llm-guide.com/board/bar-exam/foreign-lawyer-online-ll-m-california-bar-133287)

[Edited by # on Dec 12, 2019]

Thanks for this bit of information.

I’ll most likely be doing my LLM in DC so if I can complete that additional course online, that would be ideal. I found one online course on professional responsibility at https://www.law.gmu.edu/admissions/online/california_professional_responsibility/ so am considering this if I take the California route.

I don’t think LLMs in DC would offer that course since it’s specific to California.

Not to hijack the thread, but I'd be in a similar boat. Planning to do the UofL LLB (online), a QLD in the UK. As I understand it, I cannot take the NY bar with this, as it is online.

Am I correct in that, at present, should I get a LL.M in the US after the online LLB, that I can take at least the CA bar? And, can said LL.M be solely online? (This would, in effect mean the entire path to the Bar would be online)

Interested in only doing federal law, so the specifics of the bar location is not applicable.

[Edited by mugz on Jan 04, 2020]

I am qualified in England & Wales and California.

I am also looking at doing a LLM in the US and admission to the DC bar (although I can qualify automatically after 5 years) and for both of the above posters, you may want to keep an eye on "rule 46" changes at the DC bar.

The DC bar proposed an amendment to allow non ABA law school graduates to complete a LLM online. The DC Court of Appeals requested further comments on permiting only 8 credit hours online. They will soon make a decision and it might permit an online LLM to count (or they might not).

Separately, for what it's worth I know California will accept an online LLM.

[Edited by donrocks on Jan 05, 2020]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'd be in a similar boat. Planning to do the UofL LLB (online), a QLD in the UK. As I understand it, I cannot take the NY bar with this, as it is online.

Am I correct in that, at present, should I get a LL.M in the US after the online LLB, that I can take at least the CA bar? And, can said LL.M be solely online? (This would, in effect mean the entire path to the Bar would be online)

Interested in only doing federal law, so the specifics of the bar location is not applicable.

Hi, I am interested in follow-up to this thread, as I am also considering doing the UoL distance LLB, completing a US LLM and applying for a bar exam - NY. Any experience on whether this is possible?

Hi there, I am currently doing the UOL distance LLB (graduate entry) and I I already have a 3 yr undergraduate degree from India. Anyone here successfully completed LLM in California and took the bar?