Several states permit international LL.M. graduates to take their bar examination, including Maryland, New York and California, as well as the District of Columbia. Some of the states that permit foreign lawyers to sit for the bar have additional requirements that may prevent an LL.M. graduate from taking the exam. We recommend that international students interested in taking a bar examination check with the Board of Law Examiners of the state in which they wish to take the bar to determine 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 LL.M. program may be eligble via a waiver process to take the Maryland bar examination.
Click here for links to the state bar examination webpages regarding admission of foreign lawyers posted by the Maryland State Board of Law Examiners, The New York State Board of Law Examiners and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Committee on Admissions.