Hi,

I know this issue has been discussed in other threads but I have yet to come across a definitive answer to some of my queries. Would really appreciate it if someone could address some of my doubts. It would be useful if you could also post the link which lays down the current rules of the Bar regarding this issue.

My Background - foreign Law graduate (LLB from UK) but not a foreign trained lawyer .i.e. I need to become a solicitor/ barrister in order to practise in the UK and I do not intend to do that.

1. Which states allow foreign law students/ lawyers to appear for the US Bar?
2. Will an LLM from such a state make me eligible to appear for the Bar?
3. Can I appear for the Bar if I am a foreign law graduate but not eligible to practise in any country? i.e. I finished my LLB degree but did not try to qualify as a lawyer in the UK
4. Do I have to take additional courses/ credit hours (e.g. US Constitutional Law etc) apart from my standard LLM to be eligible?
5. Can I appear for the Bar during my LLM or only after completing my LLM?
6. Can I do my LLM from one state and appear for the Bar in a different state (assuming the latter state admits foreign trained lawyers)
7. As a visa national can I extend my stay in the US after my LLM simply to appear for the Bar?
8. Where can I train for the US Bar in the UK (any courses etc) and how much would it cost?

Cheers!

1.Mass., NY and Califormia (who cares about the rest) allow even LLB grads to write the bar
2. see response to 1
3. yes
4. No, u just have to pass the bar exam
5. U can write the bar even with your LLB
6. Not sure, but I believe it is possible (not sure about Alabama - see " My cousin Vinny"
7. L-1 visa for LLM students allow u to work in the US for up to a year as practical experience
8. Yes, BARBRI. The NY bar exam is relatively easy with BARBRI

Hope that helps. Why don'y u want to practice in the UK?

Sage: FYI Illinois, DC, and Texas are also major legal markets. Your âwho cares about the restâ comment displayed regrettable liberal bias ;)

LL.M. graduates are persona non grata in these places however

Hi sage,

Thanks for a thorough post. If i understand you correctly, then as a holder of an LLB from the UK, I will be eligible to appear for the Bar in certain states.

1. Under my circumstances (LLB from UK), which are the states where I can appear for the Bar without doing an LLM?
2. LLM in the US will open the doors for Bar in which other states?
3. I had read somewhere that there are 11 states which allows foreign trained lawyers to appear for the Bar. So far I have come across - NY, California, Mass, Texas. What other states would allow an LLB from the UK to appear for the Bar?
4. Finally, could you post me any links which lay down the Bar Associations regulations in that relevant state?

Cheers!

I believe I have answered, or at least tried to answer, questions 1 to 3. As for question 4, you can check www.nybarexam.org for the ny bar.

Hi sage,

Yeah, you have provided me with a thorough answer for sure. I should probably rephrase my second set of qns. I was wondering if other than NY, California and Mass are there any other states which simply accept foreign LLB. Also, other than these states which are the states that accept foreign lawyers after an LLM in the US. I ask this because I had read somewhere that an LLM in US will help you become eligible for bar in 11 states. Was wondering about the remaining states. Thanks a lot for clearing most of my doubts. Hope you can sort out these final queries :).

Cheers!

shil_aditya my man!

Forget all the garbage people have posted about bar requirements. I have yet to read one accurate posting on this subject. I did a lot of research on this before enrolling in an LL.M. last year (UCLA) and hereâs the lowdown:

Two states, namely New York and California, allow foreign lawyers to gain admission to the bar once they have completed their LL.M. The others either require a J.D. in order to take the bar exam (this includes most states), or have specific and sometimes extensive course requirements which you generally cannot complete through an LL.M. (such as DC and Mass).

It is strange that most states categorically will not allow a lawyer with only an LL.M. to practice because the two states that do allow them, New York and California, are generally viewed as having the most rigorous bar requirements. The ban on LL.M. practice applies even to lawyers who have practiced for years in New York or California and would therefore be knowledgeable of U.S. law. One possible explanation for the differential treatment between J.D. holders and LL.M. holders is xenophobia, as lawyers holding an LL.M. but not a J.D. generally are foreigners who received their first degree outside the United States.

I forgot to mention this: some of the course requirements for admission to certain bars can be met through your countryâs own LL.B. program if youâre from a country that has a legal system based on common law. You have to read the rules and regulations very carefully in each case. A fellow student here at UCLA is from Canada (University of Toronto) and told me the Canadian LL.B. allowed him to write the NY and Massachusetts bar, but not the California bar. He was doing his LL.M. to get bar admission here in California.

Hi mixmaster,

Thanks for the information! I will check if the other states would accept an LLB from the UK. Just one final question, if I do an LLM from NY would that make me eligible for California (or vice versa) or would the LLM from one state would restrict me to that particular state?

Cheers!

Hi,

I hold a LL.B Degree from India and I am Licensed to practice in India. However as I was workng for Large Multinational Corporation, in India ,I was required to get my licence suspended.

Now I shall be persuing my LL.M from SMU, Dallas Texas. I wish 2 know, whether, I will get a job in a Law firm in Texas, on strength of my previous work experience as an in house-Legal Counsel for 8 years in India. Can please someone guide me as to what 2 do next ?

hello

I am planning to join Washington college of law soon to do my LLm, so I am really worried about job-prospects and stuff.

Really sorry to disturb u, but since u seem to have a better view about the position of jobs for foreign LLM students in USA.., so I request you to answer these:

1. If JD students can get a job without passing their BAR Exam, why is it difficult for LLm studnets to get a job (eitehr be it legal associate, para-legal, reasearch -assistant)?????

2. Also I dont get one thing: I presume that not all JD or LLM students pass tehir Bar Exam, but still they end up getting some jobs in law-firms???? and most of these students prepare for tehir BAr Exam while they are working in Law-firms....So I would liek to know as to what kind of legal jobs do tehy get into and their salary and stuff????

3. Is it difficult to get into mediocre-law firm or small-law firm ....coz atleast I am not expecting big-gains out of my LLM degree...but a legal-aassociate job in a small-firm would also do??

4. Also what are the important areas of laws that the firms would look for???

so these r my major queries...if anybody has answers to this..plz do post it.......i am sure it would be helpul to many otehr students...

Hello all,
specially Sage and Mixmaster,
Thanks for providing valuable info on the subject.
I have a question.

NY bar exam website states that foreign law graduate who has successfully completed 20 credits of LLM study at an ABA approved law school is eligible to write NY bar exam.

I used to think and actually i have seen people doing so that as soon as they complete their 20 credit they would start trying bar exam regardless of the fact that they completed their LLM degree or not (as different schools have different # of credits requirement for LLM degree). Recently i learnt from some1 that NY bar won\'t let you take the bar exam merely on completion of 20 LLM credits and instead they ask you to complete the LLM degree and only then will they let you take the exam?...IS THAT SO....any intake????

ALSO, Sage, if you could please refer to the specific rule of NY bar which states that one can take the bar even without american LLM and merely on a foreign LLB....specifically in case where one has an LLB degree from india (without any liscence to practice)??

thanks again

Hello there,
just a quick reply to your request. I am a foreign trained lawyer who just completed an LLM, along with friends from India, Australia and europe.

First, only graduates from common law countries are eligible to sit for the NY bar w/o doing an LLM (e.g. UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ). Based on the experience of my friends from India, India does not qualify as a common law country ; all of them had to sit for the LL.M to "cure" the common law deficiency as required by the BOLE.

Second, make sure, wherever you will do your LL.M. to take 2 courses in basic american law as this is a part of the requirement for curing your deficit (i.e. 20 credits at least in an accredited US law school + 2 courses). Note that online LLMs are not permitted!!

Thirdly, you send in your application before you actually graduate from the program, and upon graduating the registrar sends BOLE a copy of your transcript with a certficate of enrollment. ONLY THEN will you receive your authorization to sit. So no worries there, it is a well greased mechanic

Finally, if you are doing the LL.M with the intention of sitting for the bar, do yourself a big favor and have your prior education assessed by the Board of Law examiners PRIOR to enrolling into an LLM. They will send you a letter confirming or not the possibility of curing one of the two potential deficiencies (length of legal education, or content i.e. common law).

This is how it went for many of us and we are all sitting for the bar next week. so gotta go studying

Best of luck in your endeavours

INDIA IS A COMMONLAW COUNTRY!

INDIA IS A COMMONLAW COUNTRY!

www.nobc.org
research
rules for admission
rules for admission foreign license

good luck
ps: my boyfriend, a laywer is moving from OZ to the States to be with me here and we had to find out ourselves too