Juris Doctor

: J.D. redirects here; for alternate uses, see JD.

Admission to the bar

:See admission to the bar.

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In the United States, the practice of law is regulated on the state level. To practice law in a particular state, one generally must be a member of the bar of that state.

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In nearly all states, a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association is necessary before one may become a member of the bar and practice law. Some states have an "integrated bar," in which a J.D. holder is required to be member of the bar association of the state in which he or she intends to practice. Most states, however, do not require membership in a bar association--it is purely voluntary.

Related Topics:
American Bar Association - Bar association

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Many states allow some foreign-educated lawyers to take the bar exam. In New York, individuals with at least three years of formal education in the common law (such as British or Australian law) are qualified to take the bar exam. Individuals with two years of common law training or three years of civil law training may take the bar exam after completing a one-year LL.M. program at an American institution.

Related Topics:
Bar exam - New York - Common law - LL.M.

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Only four states, Alabama, California, Massachusetts, and Tennessee, allow individuals to take the bar exam upon graduation from a non-ABA-accredited law school. In various states such as Vermonthttp://www.vermontjudiciary.org/BBE/bbelibrary/bbefaq.aspx, an applicant who has not attended law school may take the exam after study under a judge or practicing attorney for an extended period of time.

Related Topics:
Alabama - California - Massachusetts - Tennessee - Vermont

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Admission to a state's bar requires that the applicant either sit for the bar exam in that state and submit to that state's procedures for verifying "character and fitness", or obtain admission administratively through reciprocity provisions providing that in some states, lawyers who have practiced in other states for a set period of time, may be admitted upon application. Some jursidictions are special cases:

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• Washington, DC, North Dakota, Minnesota: These jurisdictions allow attorneys who recently passed the bar exam of another state, and who were subsequently admitted to the bar of that state while scoring a certain minimum score on the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), to 'waive' in rather than sitting for that jurisdiction's exam (though they still must attend to other formalities in order to practice in the jursidiction). Attorneys who passed the bars of Louisiana and Washington State cannot "waive in" using this method, since these are the only two jurisdictions in the United States that do not use the MBE.
• Wisconsin: Graduates of ABA-approved law schools located in the state—currently, the law schools at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin (Madison)—have a "diploma privilege" of admission to that state's bar without taking any examination. However, graduates of out-of-state law schools, even if they are Wisconsin residents, must take the Wisconsin bar exam to be admitted.