State Bar Requirements for Foreign Lawyers

There are several states that permit international LL.M. graduates to take their bar examination, including Maryland (beginning 2013, via a waiver process), New York, California and the District of Columbia. Many of the states that do permit foreign lawyers to sit for a bar examination have additional requirements that may preclude an LL.M. graduate from taking the bar.  We recommend that international students interested in a bar examination check with the Board of Law Examiners of the state where they wish to take the bar to see if they are eligible. A directory of State Bar Admission Agencies is at the end of the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements published by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

The curriculum of our U.S. Practice track is designed to assist students in learning broad areas of law that are often covered by state bar examinations.  Students must further prepare for a particular state's examination.  U.S. students often take a short "bar review course" for the particular state before sitting for the exam.  Some LL.M. LOTUS students have successfully taken bar examinations in New York and the District of Columbia.  Beginning in 2013, foreign lawyers who are also graduates of a Maryland international LLM program may be eligble via a waiver process to take the Maryland bar examination.

Click below for links to the state bar examination webpages on admission of foreign lawyers posted by The New York State Board of Law Examiners and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Committee on Admissions.