hi,
I am currently studying on a cpe programme in london, which will entitle me to take the bar in the uk. My ultimate goal is to practice in the us though. I am wondering which option would be preferrable; either pass the bar here and then go to the us or to apply after my undergraduate studies for a J.D. I am aware that applying for a J.D. would be probably the easier way but I am not sure if I can afford a three year long course in the us. I would mainly like to find out if I would be hugely disadvantaged in my job search in the us.
I would really appreciate your thoughts on this.

Hi,
as i said earlier that i am on a student visa already. learnt that california bar accepts admission to bar without an llm. however in order to maintain my status I am thinking of doing my LLM/MCL in the University of San Diego Western college of Law. How is the college and what are my chances of securing work there after completion of course. is it easy ato get accomodation and some part time job since fees are very high. I am very new and have never travelled before anywhere . please suggest what should i do.

Yes. California will accept it. It doesn't matter if you come from a civil background so long as you are a licensed attorney in your home country.

hi am an indian lawyer just completed my law course. can i practice law in us with out any experience. and how is the bar exam conducted. do we need to write the exam in only or can write in online in india.
please let me know this informationa and i also want to know that how much i can earn ther in the starting

Hello,

First off, thank you smartguy for creating such an informative post. It is very helpful!
I am a bit confused about qualifying for the bar in CA. I'm a US citizen, have my BA degree from the States, but am working on my law degree in The Netherlands. Eventually I will go back to sit for the CA bar but am confused as to the qualification process. How will my foreign degree be evaluated? And, do i take just one or two years of additional legal studies in a US institution, in order to be qualified for the Cal bar? Any help would be appreciated from anyone.

Thanks!

Hi smartguy,

You seem to know a lot. Can you please advice me as to the following questions:
--What are the job oppurtunities for a foreign lawyer in the US(with or without LLM)?
--What sort of salaries can they expect after clearing the Bar?
--How easy it is to get a job? Can you rate it on a scale of 10?
--Are there any particular practice areas in which foreign lawyers have a better chance of getting a job? Conversely, are there any areas which are a strict no-no for foreign lawyers?
--Can foreign lawyers expect to make it big in the field of litigation?
--Is there any sort of bias against foreign lawyers especially against asians?

Your advice is highly appreciated. Thanks. Cheers!

Intuition whispers to my ear you have never been to the us before. am i right?
let's start with simple facts. once you get admitted you're not foreign attorney anymore.
if you are looking for self employed carrering i doubt your client will ever inquire which school have you graduated from.
if you're looking for employment in top notch law firms... well you have to be damn good... at least better than your other American candidates.
as for money i think with no substantial experience you can start with $2,500-3,000/month.
Litigation is not the field where you can make big money, i would say Intellectual Property is the most money attractive field now.
Believe me you will not be able to handle 8 hours deposition in English. You don't have to. Think about your strong side. English is obviously not the one. No offense, Neither it is mine. I think if you can pass US bar exam and find great job in your home country you can make much more than here. Don't get me wrong, it's not about competition. There 300,000 members in California Bar. If you're able to find your niche here i welcome you to do so. If you think your strong side in your home law - pass the Bar here and go for it.

hi, am bharath, law graduate from india. am trying to practice law in usa. until reading this blogs i am under an impression that foreign lawyers must study law in usa and then only he can practice. thanks for the information. and if u guys know please let me know how will be the bar examinatons ther and its difficulty.and what are the troubles for a foreign lawyer in practicing law in usa with out studying there. could u please let me know, and also the how is the pay scale for foreign lawyers there.

regards
bharath

hi, tony
thanks a lot for the information. but i am still very confused as to which college i should apply for llm. One thing is i want to apply to the ca bar exam also. All the feedback i got was that it is very tough to clear the ca bar exam. So my query is should i drop the idea of answering the ca bar exam and concentrate only on the llm? As i am already on a student visa for mba program i was planning on taking a drop and trying out the ca bar exam and in spring term contemplating to study llm but just cannot decide where to apply . Also have a budget constraint.

To all foreign lawyers in the US (including myself): I hope we all agree on one thing that LLM will never replace JD degree.
If you intend to practice law in the US with LLM you have to understand that you are "handicapped" (class B if it sounds better) from educational point of view.
If all you want from LLM is to be able to sit for NY bar exam, i think i have good news how to save admission headaches and $25,000 tuition + another $10,000 for living expenses.
Here is what you can do:
Stage One: Get admitted to your home Bar.
Stage Two: Take and pass California bax exam as attorney admitted in foreign jurisdiction.
Stage Three: no no no, just two.
Congratulations. You saved $35,000, one year of your life, admission headaches AND you can call your self US attorney now.
Questions?

If you are a licensed attorney in a foreign country you are eligible to take the California bar examination without any further legal education and, if you pass and meet other requirements, obtain a California law license.

http://calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/admissions/77sf.pdf

However, except in very rare circumstances, you would not be entitled to practice law in New York with only a California law license. You would need a New York license. Every state has its own requirements regarding what education is required to take the bar exam and practice law. If you want to practice law in New York you need to check the New York bar website and figure if you meet the requirements to take the New York bar exam.

hello smart guy,

im a lawyer licenced in mexico, and i have worked with several attorneys, I have several doubts about US legal etics.

1 is it ethical for a us lawyer to pay / share fees with a foreign lawyer for a joint representation-contract?

2 which are the arguments I can use to probe that a foreign lawyer can be awarded with fees, even if he does not litigate in the us, but made his part in mexico?

3 if I as a mexican lawyer want to become a US lawyer, which is the procedure to skip the llm? (which is my home bar, im licenced to practice all over Mexico)

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, hope I can get a response from you.

Sorry I didnt know there was already a similar thread going on. So heres my question, hope it gets answered!

Can Foreign-Qualified experienced LLM lawyers PRACTICE in any state in the USA?

I'm a Pakistani 18 year old about to embark on my llb degree and here is my plan; please let me know what you think...;)

1. Do my L.L.B from Pakistan or the UK - 3 years or 5 years if i do a 2 year bachelors.
2. Do my L.L.M from the UK - I dunno how long this is gonna take, maybe 2 years - can someone tell me?
3. Practice for 2 years in Pakistan
4. Immigrate to the USA to work there.

Is this possible? any advice will be much appreciated especially if its good ;) thx, cause Im about to start my career.

Hi,

point 2...LLM in the UK is one year
point 4...you have to sit the bar exam in the respective state that you want to practice in, for example, if you want to be a lawyer in Florida you will have to take Florida's bar exam

US States have different requirements in order to sit their bar exam...for example, New York only requires an LLB whereas some state will require you to be a practising lawyer for X amount of years.

Good lucky anyways

Dear all,
I have read the posts on this thread for about 2 years now and no doubt it has provided useful information. I would need your additional support with respect to the following specifics on getting admitted to California Bar as a Foreign Attorney Applicant.

1. Whether the plain rule "foreign admitted attorney can sit for the California Bar Exam no other requirements necessary" still stands given the "rights of audience up to the Highest Court in the foreign jurisdiction" condition.

- Most of you have posted this web address to support this rule: calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/admissions/77sf.pdf
- As per this other link, http://www.calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/admissions/GBX/eligibility.pdf, apparently, being admitted to a foreign jurisdiction does not suffice per se since you need a certification from the Highest Court in that jurisdiction
- At least in my jurisdiction (i.e. Romania), an attorney-at-law must have 7 years of experience (2 as trainee lawyer and 5 as lawyer) until he is granted rights of audience up to the Highest Court
Conclusion: According to California Bar, Foreign Admitted Applicant appears to be not just a foreign admitted applicant but one who has rights of audience up to the Highest Court in that jurisdiction. Therefore a foreign attorney becomes eligible to sit for the Cali Bar exam only after he has the relevant experience in his home jurisdiction which grants him or her the rights of audience up to the Highest Court in that jurisdiction.

2. Whether the "rights of audience up to the Highest Court" rule is a new one and whether any foreign admitted attorney has been able to sit the California Bar Exam without having rights of audience up to the Highest Court in that attorney's home jurisdiction.

Thanks!

hi,
I am currently studying on a cpe programme in london, which will entitle me to take the bar in the uk. My ultimate goal is to practice in the us though. I am wondering which option would be preferrable; either pass the bar here and then go to the us or to apply after my undergraduate studies for a J.D. I am aware that applying for a J.D. would be probably the easier way but I am not sure if I can afford a three year long course in the us. I would mainly like to find out if I would be hugely disadvantaged in my job search in the us.
I would really appreciate your thoughts on this.

Catylla,

You are reading too much into it. The California rules define attorney applicant as one who is authorized to practice law in his or her jurisdiction.

http://calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/rules/Rules_Title4_Div1-Adm-Prac-Law.pdf

See page 3 of the rules. Are you a licensed attorney in Romania? If your answer is yes, you are an attorney applicant.

Catylla,

You are reading too much into it. The California rules define attorney applicant as one who is authorized to practice law in his or her jurisdiction.

http://calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/rules/Rules_Title4_Div1-Adm-Prac-Law.pdf

See page 3 of the rules. Are you a licensed attorney in Romania? If your answer is yes, you are an attorney applicant.

Answer to Questuion # 1 - Yes. It does not matter if you come from a common law or civil law background so long as you are an attorney applicant.

Answer to Question # 2 - Qualified no. California in the rules (see above link) defines an attorney applicant as an applicant who is or has been admitted as an attorney to the practice of law in any jurisdiction.

Good luck.

Are there anyone in here that knows about other states than California, that accepts licensed foreign lawyers for the bar exam?
I'm an approved lawyer from Denmark and I'm interested in working as a lawyer in Florida or Puerto Rico, but I'm not able to find the requirements for taking the bar-exam. Ex. If I need LLM or J.D.

Greetings
Silas

Are there anyone in here that knows about other states than California, that accepts licensed foreign lawyers for the bar exam?
I'm an approved lawyer from Denmark and I'm interested in working as a lawyer in Florida or Puerto Rico, but I'm not able to find the requirements for taking the bar-exam. Ex. If I need LLM or J.D.

Greetings
Silas

Are there anyone in here that knows about other states than California, that accepts licensed foreign lawyers for the bar exam?
I'm an approved lawyer from Denmark and I'm interested in working as a lawyer in Florida or Puerto Rico, but I'm not able to find the requirements for taking the bar-exam. Ex. If I need LLM or J.D.

Greetings
Silas

You can always refer to: http://www.ncbex.org/fileadmin/mediafiles/downloads/Comp_Guide/CompGuide.pdf

In short, negative to Florida (p.30), and "conditional" for Puerto Rico (p.33).

And of course i have a disclaimer here: do write to those bar organizations (p.43 - 46) to make sure all of the information are accurate and up-to-date.

Good luck.

Are there anyone in here that knows about other states than California, that accepts licensed foreign lawyers for the bar exam?
I'm an approved lawyer from Denmark and I'm interested in working as a lawyer in Florida or Puerto Rico, but I'm not able to find the requirements for taking the bar-exam. Ex. If I need LLM or J.D.

Greetings
Silas

You can always refer to: http://www.ncbex.org/fileadmin/mediafiles/downloads/Comp_Guide/CompGuide.pdf

In short, negative to Florida (p.30), and "conditional" for Puerto Rico (p.33).

And of course i have a disclaimer here: do write to those bar organizations (p.43 - 46) to make sure all of the information are accurate and up-to-date.

Good luck.

Thanks a lot for your response and link.

But I do have trouble understanding the requirements for Puerto Rico, because on the matrix at p.31, they marked NO to the following two questions:

If graduates of foreign law schools are eligible to take the bar examination under the rules in your jurisdiction, are any of the following required?
They marked "additional education at an ABA-approved law school"

And they marked NO to this:
"If a foreign law school graduate obtains an LL.M. or other graduate law degree from an ABA-approved school, is the graduate then eligible to take the bar exam?

Do you think this indirectly means that they require the J.D title?