Bar Exam Information for International LL.M. Students

Bar Exam Overview

 

In general, the bar exam is offered twice a year, on the last Tuesday and Wednesday in July and February. The bar exam is administered in each state in the U.S., and each state has its own bar exam and rules for bar admission.  For most states, one day covers state law and the second day is for the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). For a detailed and accurate list of the subjects tested in particular state(s), contact the state’s bar admission office directly. Most states also require the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), which is offered in March, August, and November. The MPRE can be, and almost always is, taken before the bar exam.

 

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

 

The MBE is a six-hour, 200 question multiple-choice exam covering constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and torts. The MBE is mandatory in all states except Louisiana and Washington.

 

Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)

 

The MPRE is a two-hour, 60 question multiple-choice exam that measures your knowledge of ethical standards in the legal profession. It is required in all states except Maryland, Washington, and Wisconsin.

 

Character and Fitness to Practice Law

 

All states have a character and fitness requirement. The Pennsylvania standard is a good example: "The character and fitness standards require that an applicant to the bar be one whose record of conduct justifies the trust of clients, adversaries, courts and others. The hallmark of such a person is honesty, especially in connection with the application for admission to the bar. Persons with a record showing a deficiency in honesty, trustworthiness, diligence or reliability may not be recommended for admission."

 

New York Bar Exam Overview (of special interest to LLM students)

 

Most LL.M. students sit for the bar exam in New York State because its admission rules are hospitable to attorneys trained outside the U.S.  This is a goal that can generally be achieved within the confines of the curriculum of the LL.M. program, but the responsibility for meeting the educational requirements of the New York State Bar falls to the individual student.  (Students wishing to deepen their knowledge of the US Legal System and/or take other state bar examinations may wish to consider the JD/LLM program at the School of Law.)

 

Any student who hopes to take the New York State Bar must become familiar with the rules of eligibility which are posted on the New York State Bar Examiners.  For example, New York requests that applicants educated outside the U.S. must submit an evaluation of education credentials up to one year prior to the bar exam.  This is to evaluate your home country education.   As it is the responsibility of the student to ensure compliance with all eligibility requirements, students considering taking the New York Bar exam are strongly urged to review those rules in detail at the start of their LL.M. studies. 

 

The following are the current LL.M. Course Requirements for applicant who commence the llm program in the 2012-2013 academic year (or later):

 

  1. at least two semester hours of credit in professional responsibility,
    1. this course is Legal Profession
  2. at least two credits in a legal research, writing and analysis course (which may NOT be satisfied by a research and writing requirement in a substantive course),
    1. this course is US Law and Legal Institutions: Research and Writing
  3. at least two-credits in a course on American legal studies, the American legal system or a similar course designed to introduce students to U.S. law, and
    1. this course is US Law and Legal Institutions
  4. at least six credits in subjects tested on the New York bar examination (where a principal focus of the course includes material contained in the Content Outline published by the Board).
    1. the following list, which is not an exhaustive list, contains those courses which could be used to satisfy this requirement:
      1. All 1L Juris Doctor required curriculum substantive courses
      2. Business Organizations
      3. Conflicts of Law
      4. Criminal Procedure
      5. Evidence
      6. Family Law
      7. Trusts and Estates 

 

Massachusetts Bar Exam (of special interest to LLM students)

As of July, 2010, amendments to Rule 3:01 of the Massachusetts Supreme Court and new Board of Bar Examiners (the “Board” or “BBE”) Rule VI make it possible for a foreign-trained law student to sit for the MA Bar Exam.  The full text of Rule 3:01 is available here.  Students are strongly encouraged to view these requirements in advance of making curricular choices.  Students are advised that it may take 4 months or longer to assemble require documents and that requirements differ for those students from countries with civil and common law traditions.  The requirements differ for those students from Canada, as well.

 

Commercial Bar Exam Preparation Courses

 

The School of Law does not recommend any particular bare review course, though we allow the representation of these products on campus, and many students do in fact take these courses in advance of taking a bar exam.  Interested students may consult representatives of the various commercial bar exam preparation courses when they arrive on campus.  Students also sometimes find further information about commercial bar exam preparation courses on the other sites although the law school takes no position on the accuracy of that information.