BARBRI's LL.M. Preview will help you prepare to enter your LL.M. program in the 2014 autumn semester. 

During the weeks and months before your LL.M. classes begin, BARBRI's special LL.M. Preview gives you tools you need for success in your LL.M. classroom. It will help as you adjust to your new degree program, and as you prepare yourself for taking a bar exam or getting a job post-LL.M.

Get a head start before classes begin!

At LL.M. Preview, you will learn basics in U.S. law school learning styles, the Socratic Method, and the U.S. legal system, and learn fundamentals in key areas of U.S. law and practice.

You will  learn tips on how best to present yourself to the employment marketplace as you prepare to apply for internships or part-time jobs while you are enrolled in your LL.M., or as you prepare for full-time legal positions in the U.S. or elsewhere post-LL.M. You will learn about U.S.-style resume and cover letter writing,  so you can arrive at your LL.M. program a step ahead in your quest for internships, part-time jobs, or post-LL.M. employment.

At LL.M. Preview you will gain insights into qualification for U.S. legal practice, including bar exams in states that permit LL.M. graduates to join their bars and practice law.

LL.M. Preview is offered live in Los Angeles and New York in August 2014. Components of LL.M. Preview will also be available online, so you can begin preparing for your LL.M. before you leave your home country! 

At LL.M. Preview, you will meet LL.M. students from many different U.S. law schools in different parts of the country. You can establish strong friendships and professional bonds with LL.M. colleagues that will serve you well as you tackle issues at your different law schools, and as you complete your degrees and return to homelands, go elsewhere, or stay in the U.S.

Jump start your LL.M. degree program. Arrive at your LL.M. program fully prepared!


Check here for additional information about and to sign up for BARBRI LL.M. Preview.


PS:  Your BARBRI LL.M. Preview instructors will be from well-known law schools and LL.M. programs from around the country. Instructors will also include individuals closely associated with national and global LL.M. undertakings, such as the author of LL.M. Roadmap.

30 U.S. jurisdictions permit non-U.S.-trained lawyers to join the bar
The Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements, published by the ABA and the National Conference of Bar Examiners, identifies 30 U.S. jurisdictions that permit non-U.S.-trained law graduates to become members of their bar. These include 27 states, the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.), Palau, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For ease, I refer to these 30 as “U.S. jurisdictions” or “states”.

Some of these jurisdictions require non-U.S.-Trained lawyers to sit for that jurisdiction's bar exam. Some permit these lawyers to join without taking the particular jurisdiction's bar exam. It is suggested that you carefully review the requirements for each jurisdiction in which you have an interest. Check early. Make certain that you can satisfy the jurisdiction's requirements in a time frame that suits you. You are advised to check the requirements early, and often, as requirements may change.

General bar admission requirements -- Exam or No Exam Required?
There are two basic paths to bar admission in the U.S. (and neither of these paths is “easy”!):

a.       Admission by examination. This involves satisfying certain eligibility requirements, registering, then sitting for the state’s bar exam. Non-U.S.-trained lawyers typically take this examination route. 

b.       Admission not by examination. A state may grant a “waiver” so a candidate does not have to sit for the particular state’s bar exam. This is rare for non-U.S.-trained lawyers. The Comprehensive Guide indicates that U.S. jurisdictions that permit

A reporter recently asked me what’s the “easiest” U.S. bar exam for non-U.S. trained lawyers who receive a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from a U.S. law school.

My answer was easy:  I said “It depends”.

I said that 30 U.S. jurisdictions permit non-U.S.-trained LL.M. graduates to sit for their bar examination. Some let them join the bar without sitting for the exam. But each of these states has a different set of requirements.

A general information source for U.S. bar admission requirements is the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements 2014, published by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBEX) and the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. For details about each jurisdiction’s requirements, you should contact the bar admissions authority of that particular jurisdiction. Contact information is published in the Comprehensive Guide.

The Comprehensive Guide identifies 30 U.S. jurisdictions that permit non-U.S.-Trained law graduates to become members of their bar. Explore the rules of each jurisdiction carefully to determine whether you qualify. Then, pick and choose among the ones for