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Irish person thinking of sitting the Florida Bar - HELP!

  • 29-11-2008 10:40am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1


    Hi guys,

    I have a LL.B (Hons.) Degree from a University in Ireland. I am a U.S. citizen and am very interested in sitting the Florida Bar Exam with the ultimate goal of becoming an Attorney in Florida.

    Does anyone know the correct way to go about being eligible to sit the Florida Bar Exams? Do you need to have a Law Degree from a University in the U.S. or would my Law Degree be recognised as sufficient to allow me sit the Florida Bar Exams?

    I really want to get the wheels in motion and make the move to Florida from Ireland.

    Any advice would be absolutely fantastic!

    Thanks in advance.

    William.


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,288 ✭✭✭pow wow


    Can you sit the bar without a J.D. ? The only lawyers I know in America are in DC but I'll ask.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 53 ✭✭dietcola


    Hay there... well it looks like youll have to do a conversion into american law as you irish stuff is completely unrelevant and thus pointless... i guess that the ground works are done but unless you studied american law your degree wont transfer... have you looked at the possibility of getting a training contract out there?

    the sector in the UK is crying out for paralegals etc in litigation... youll get a job in seconds here!

    good luck n sorry to spin it negative but i dont think itll work i i looked at the same thing for australia and no one would give me a chance!:pac:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6 rustymotion


    diet cola is correct. To sit for a bar exam you must have a law degree from a Bar Association accredited/US university accredited law school. Very few Irish (none?) and British Uni's can claim to be accredited as such. Anyways, my cousin did hers in Dub and came back stateside but had to do 2 more years of law school. - In other words, based on the law school they might cut a year off of your learning as you have the basics down, but you still need to learn law as it pertains to US society.

    P.P.S. - The Florida bar exam is notoriously easy. Good Luck!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,155 ✭✭✭metman


    If you have an Irish LLB you can study and sit the NY bar exam, and a number of Irish schools run preparatory courses for this. Once admitted could you seek recognition of your qualifications in Florida? :confused:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6 rustymotion


    metman wrote: »
    If you have an Irish LLB you can study and sit the NY bar exam, and a number of Irish schools run preparatory courses for this. Once admitted could you seek recognition of your qualifications in Florida? :confused:


    Metman close, but only certain states, and fl and ny aren't them.

    UOL LLB external program - can qualify you if you decide to go take the illinois (chicago) bar.

    'Whether you may take the bar will vary from state to state with the US. You should look at the websites of the individual state bars where you are interested in practicing. Some states require a legal degree from an American Bar Association accredited institution - e.g. JD or LLM. Other states will allow anyone to sit for and take the bar. In California, you can take the bar without attending an ABA institution'...


    so looks like cali is the only place aside from illinois as far as i know of. Called my mother, whom is a judge in manhattan. can't take the ny bar without a JD LLM in NY.

    Will check on Florida.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 53 ✭✭dietcola


    ez now.... what i was saying before may not be the be all n end all of it... there are things called vacation schemes which will kindam of sponser you to do ya lpc... Have u done ya LPC cos u may be akble to do a top up course in america n then your would be bar accredited...

    basically i bumped into me pal who is in the legal world at a higher level than myself (paralegal) and she said that it is more than possible and there are opportunities to be exploited - ill ask further to find out more!


  • Registered Users Posts: 163 ✭✭ElmoLaw


    rustymotion you said


    so looks like cali is the only place aside from illinois as far as i know of. Called my mother, whom is a judge in manhattan. can't take the ny bar without a JD LLM in NY.

    THIS IS
    completely wrong- if your mother was really a judge in manhattan she would have told you that the NY bar can be sat by an person holding an international law degree from an accredited university.. for example the NUIs in ireland etc. i sat the ny bar myself under these conditions. the new york and the cali bars are the only bars that an international person may sit for without a jd or llm from the usa. that is why the grind schools here do those 2 states. illinois is not one of these.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ami2710


    Metman close, but only certain states, and fl and ny aren't them.

    UOL LLB external program - can qualify you if you decide to go take the illinois (chicago) bar.

    'Whether you may take the bar will vary from state to state with the US. You should look at the websites of the individual state bars where you are interested in practicing. Some states require a legal degree from an American Bar Association accredited institution - e.g. JD or LLM. Other states will allow anyone to sit for and take the bar. In California, you can take the bar without attending an ABA institution'...


    so looks like cali is the only place aside from illinois as far as i know of. Called my mother, whom is a judge in manhattan. can't take the ny bar without a JD LLM in NY.

    Will check on Florida.
    Question: Do you need to be a member with the Florida Bar associan in order to practice law in Florida?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 kelly.hughes


    I am a UK law graduate who has an LLB and was able to sit for the New York Bar. I passed recently and was looking into taking the Illinois Bar. I was under the impression that I could sit for the IL bar but have been alerted to a potential problem. A UK lawyer who sat for the IL bar in the late 80s said that IL required a JD despite passing another bar such as NY. Does anyone know if this is still the case please? By the way, as a UK law graduate, I was eligible to sit for NY or California without a JD or LLM. Just to confirm.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,168 ✭✭✭dats_right


    A UK lawyer who sat for the IL bar in the late 80s said that IL required a JD despite passing another bar such as NY. Does anyone know if this is still the case please? By the way, as a UK law graduate, I was eligible to sit for NY or California without a JD or LLM. Just to confirm.

    Excellent information contained on England and Wales Law Society re practising in Illinois:
    http://international.lawsociety.org.uk/ip/americas/610/614/practise


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6 rustymotion


    ElmoLaw wrote: »
    rustymotion you said


    so looks like cali is the only place aside from illinois as far as i know of. Called my mother, whom is a judge in manhattan. can't take the ny bar without a JD LLM in NY.

    THIS IS
    completely wrong- if your mother was really a judge in manhattan she would have told you that the NY bar can be sat by an person holding an international law degree from an accredited university.. for example the NUIs in ireland etc. i sat the ny bar myself under these conditions. the new york and the cali bars are the only bars that an international person may sit for without a jd or llm from the usa. that is why the grind schools here do those 2 states. illinois is not one of these.

    Wrong bro - if cannot be taken with an international law degree, only from a US accredited university that is accredited through the US bar association to give out legal degree's. And as we are talking about a degree from a school teaching a different legal system (common law) then it will not be applicable in the states. Im sorry but you are incorrect...
    there are few exceptions.

    If your college is not ABA certified when they gave it to you (oxford is somehow) I reference you to nybarexam.org 520.6 foreign eligibility, and 520.3 Foreign Common Law System - in the NYS Rules of the Court of appeals. Basically, you need proof that your study included the US system as opposed to just common law system of at least 20+ credit hours. as always circumventions do occur, but take alook for yourself. as for my mother being a judge, have fun looking her up. Alice Schlesinger. right at centre street bro. So do me a favour and try actually reading first. Its not that you can't do it but you need to have studied outside the common law system which is what you are on. hope that helps. been abroad for a bit or would have responded sooner.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7 bar man


    This is wrong, you can sit the NY bar with any accredited Irish 3 year law degree. I have done it and there are loads of Irish who sit it every year. They also accept combination degrees like Social Policy and Law and a 2 year LLB, that gets a bit more complicated so if you have such a combination you will need to do more research.
    You dont need any “US studies” as referred to above.
    To the best of my knowledge, the NY is now the only bar exam you can sit without first completing an LLM (note Ca just changed their rules to require this in the last couple of years). Many states, including California will allow you to sit there exam once you are qualified in NY.


    From the NY bar website - http://www.nybarexam.org/Foreign/ForeignLegalEducation.htm




    Synopsis of the Requirements of Section 520.6(b)(1). Section 520.6(b)(1) of the Rules of the Court of Appeals requires an applicant to provide satisfactory proof of the following:

    (1) that the applicant has fulfilled the educational requirements for admission to the practice of law in a foreign country other than the United States;

    (2) that the applicant has successfully completed a period of law study in a law school or schools, that is at least substantially equivalent in duration to that required under subdivisions (d) and (e) of section 520.3;

    (3) that throughout the period of the applicant’s study, the law school or schools attended was each recognized by the competent accrediting agency of the government of such other country, or a political subdivision thereof, as qualified and approved;

    (4) that the jurisprudence of such foreign country is based upon the principles of the English Common Law; and

    (5) that the "program and course of law study" successfully completed by the applicant were the substantial equivalent of the legal education provided by an approved law school in the United States.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,386 ✭✭✭Killer Wench


    I attended law school in IL and I had thought only NY and CA were the only jurisdictions that permit non ABA accredited graduates to sit for the bar. But, it appears that IL does have a process:

    https://www.ibaby.org/rule715.action


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 deburca999


    As an American attorney who became an English solicitor and notary, I know how important it is to find the right information. You may want to look at the following ABA document addressing reciprocity among the states and requirements of foreign applicants (especially page 22).

    http://www.ncbex.org/fileadmin/mediafiles/downloads/Comp_Guide/CompGuide_2010.pdf

    Regards,

    Kevin Burke
    Florida & Ohio attorney
    <snip>


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