ESTABLISHING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE EXAM:

• Request for Evaluation of Foreign Legal Credentials.

  Foreign educated law graduates must submit the on-line “Request for Evaluation of Foreign Legal Credentials” (http://www.nybarexam.org/foreign/foreignlegaleducation.htm) along with “documentary proof” to determine whether you are eligible for the exam. The Board of Law Examiners [BOLE] encourage you to file this request 12 months prior to the application deadline for the exam you want to take. You must submit this document before you may submit your application to sit for the NY Bar Exam. We recommend you submit all “documentary proofs” promptly although the deadline for submission is still June 15th for the July 2011 exam.

  Students from common law systems which are determined by the New York Bar to have an education “substantially and durationally” equivalent to the U.S. legal education (the J.D.) will meet the eligibility requirement without needing to fulfill any American legal education requirements. You must file the “request for evaluation of foreign legal credentials.”

  Most students (all civil law and some common-law trained) submitting the “request for evaluation” receive an email message that says “Based on a review of your foreign law school transcripts we have determined that your foreign law school study does not satisfy both the substantive and durational equivalency requirements of Section 520.6 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York.” Then, it says “However, you may cure that deficiency and qualify to sit for the bar examination upon presentation of proof of successful completion of a program of study consisting of a minimum of 20 semester hours of credit, or the equivalent, in professional law subjects, which includes basic courses in American Law, in an approved law school in the United States.”

 

• What does the letter mean? What does the letter mean? It means that if you complete the LL.M. at Georgetown Law before sitting for the exam, you are eligible for the exam under the following conditions:
• You must have 20 “professional law” credits (non-law courses, & graduate independent research DO NOT count in the 20 “professional law” credits for the bar)
  
  AND
• Your credits must include two basic courses in American Law.:” See http://www.law.georgetown.edu/graduate/documents/Bar-approvedcoursesNYMarch2006edited2008.pdf for the courses they have approved for meeting that particular requirement, and see special note regarding U.S. Legal Discourse I & II.
  
• Documents “Proofs” to be submitted to the Board in support of your bar application for Compliance with Rule 520.6: You must provide the following original documents or copies certified directly by the institution that issued the degree and/or certificate. (Copies that are certified by universities other than the issuing university will not be accepted. Please note that photocopies, faxed copies, and copies certified by a notary public are also not acceptable.) Note: All documents become the property of the Board and will not be returned. All “ proofs” must be submitted to the Board of Law Examiners no later than June 15th for the July exam and February 1 for the February exam.

(a) Official transcripts from every law school attended and submitted directly to BOLE by the school.   Each school you attended must submit a final, official transcript that includes the dates of attendance for each period of study, the courses taken and passed for each period of study, the degree awarded, and the date the degree was awarded. If your law school will not issue a transcript for you, but you have a transcript issued by the school in a sealed envelope, the BOLE will usually accept this as a substitute.

(b) Degree Certificate. If the official transcript does not clearly state the degree awarded and/or the date such degree was awarded, you must furnish a certified copy of your degree certificate.

(c) Proof of fulfillment of the educational requirements for admission to the practice of law in the foreign country.

(1) If you are admitted to practice law in a foreign country, attach a copy of your admission certificate, OR

(2) If you are not admitted to practice law in a foreign country, submit proof of the educational requirements for admission to practice law in your country and proof that you have fulfilled these requirements.

(d) Accreditation. Submit a written statement from the competent accrediting agency of your foreign government that the law school or schools you attended were recognized by them as qualified and approved throughout your period of study. (Georgetown note: The BOLE maintains a comprehensive list of law schools from which they have received proof of accreditation. The confirmation email you will receive after completing the online Foreign Evaluation Form will include whether or not you will be required to provide this documentation.)

(d) English translation. If the law school transcripts, degree certificate, or any of the other documentation requested above are not in English, you must also furnish English translations of the documents prepared by an official translator. Translations made by the applicant are not acceptable. Where translations of official transcripts are obtained by the applicant, the Board still requires that an original transcript be received directly from the issuing law school.

APPLYING FOR THE NEW YORK BAR EXAM:

• We recommend you apply on-line.
• International students should indicate that you “qualify to take the examination on the basis of (Court of Appeals Rules)” based on: Foreign law study (Rule 520.6)
• You need to work with the Office of the Registrar (McDonough 315) in the application process and on three items; please do this by April 29th.
• Take the “handwriting sample” form to them and do the sample in front of a staff member. Then, you submit the handwriting sample to the BOLE by June 15th.
• Complete and submit the “20-credit Program Certificate” if you are establishing your eligibility based on your LL.M. They will submit it directly to the BOLE.  A sample certificate is at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/international/documents/Sample20CreditProgramCertificate.pdf.
• Georgetown LL.M. transcript: you must submit a “Transcript Request.” http://www.law.georgetown.edu/registrar/transcripts.html to the Registrar's Office. They will submit it directly to the BOLE after graduation; there is no fee for a transcript submitted for a bar exam.