makkabokka

hi

this is all together different topic
Iam a lawyer in india and will be immigrating to usa this year for sure so i want to know how do i continue my studies in usa? what documentation i will need and all that stuff. well many indians who have immigrated to usa could helpe me with it

i will be grateful if u direct me to some forum exactly like this but which is dedicated for immigrants education ?
thank you

Duckie

i am not so sure if beeing a lawyer in india is of any use in the usa. you almost had to start from scratch as i am sure the laws are quite differant. yes, right, you know how to read law books. but have you read and learned enough cases that happened in the usa?

i dont want you to discourage, but maybe a ng is not the right place to ask this. noone (esp. no lawyers) will give you specific advice. at least not for free. and the lawyer has another problem - if he would give you advice on here, you automatically become his client. and doing this in a public board will only make it real complicated in the case the lawyer give out accidentally wrong information. even if he would do it in his spare time.

hoosier wannabe

I would suggest looking in US Immagration room, and asking a general question in there?! I think the main thing you need to think about is the type of visa you need! whether its a marriage/working/studying visa?! This is just my opinion though!

cindyabs

How about contacting the American Bar Association etc, any form of legal professional organization. Go on websites and do searches-I had seen an Indian lawyer who has an immigration website.

Dekka's Angel

To get the answer to your question about what role if any your status as a lawyer in India will play, you must contact the Bar Association in the state in which you will be setting up US residence and desire to practice. Each state Bar has its own rules for admission into the practice of law, and each has different requirements for lawyers who enter the state having already been licensed in another jurisdiction. There is not always reciprocity between states, so you cannot rely on the right to become licensed in one state merely because another's rules would allow it.

As far as law schools are concerned, the admissions requirements also vary wildly depending on the school you want to go to. Some will take into account your prior licensure, some will require you to take the LSAT, some will not. Some schools admit based solely on testing and grades, others more holistically. I recommend getting one of the many guides to Law schools so that you can make an informed choice. Law school is not inexpensive, even at inexpensive law schools

The American Bar Association's website should have links to the state Bar websites and to the ABA accredited law schools in the US. Please note that the ABA is a political organization only with no power over attorneys or licensure (except to the degree that you practice in a state that utilizes the ABA model ethical rules) or over a school's decision to admit someone into law school. But the ABA *is* a great clearinghouse for information, networking, getting up to speed on various aspects of law and different schools, you name it.

DCMark

I can give you some information.

To practice law in the US, you need to pass a state bar exam. You can then only practice in that state, unless they have a reciprocity agreement with other states.

The only state I know of (could be wrong), that allows you to take their bar exam without attending an accredited US law school, in NY. So, you could conceivable study for the NY bar, pass it, and become a NY lawyer.

However, you really need to know your law to pass any bar exam.

grouchy

I am a canadian lawyer who came to practice law in the us (not immigration law, folks)

India, like the United States and Canada, is a common law system. with the general principles of law the same.


Newsgroup is correct. Contact the state bar you want, fill out an application and take the state bar test, multistate and an ethics exam they have. Suggest a bar prep course such as Barbri to prepare you.

However, that is minor compared to how hard it will be to get a job here with an indian law degree. i had to get a Masters from a US law school in my practice area (AFTER I passed the bar) to get a really good job.

Just letting you know--no cakewalk.

makkabokka

hello guys Thank u so much but i think i need to clear some things

Iam k1 visa benificiary so and on that visa i will be moving to california to marry my fiancee and will stay there.

now lets start all over again
i know about lsat can i do LLM ( PG) in some California University and then would be able to Practice law or atleast get some descent job there ? i have heard that some state do allow u to practice even if ur basic law degree is not from usa but provided after PG ( which u do in USA) u pass their bar exam .

but what iw as asking if california dosent allow that and if i want to get admission for JD what documents will i need my mark memos , that kinda stuff ? and what about the copies well this can be answered by some indians who mave moved to usa

Thank You
Oh yes plz the bar associations website of california

lairdside

I was going to ask that

As India is a former British Colony is it's law based on English Common Law ? If so you may have a shot at being able to sit the bar in some states here.

Louisiana is a good example of a state whose attorneys hold no equivalency re: sitting the bar in any other state as their law is based on Napoleonic not English Common Law I believe.

Is the same true in Canada for Quebec ?

Perhaps a practice that practises internationally and does a lot of work involving Indian interests could use someone with knowledge of both systems ? I have friends who are both US attorneys and English barristers who do work involving both jurisdictions.

Rete

Actually I thought that was Virginia. I recall that you only have to read for the Bar in Virginia not attend and graduate from an accredited law school.

Rete

lairdside

You don't have to have attended an accredited Law school to sit the bar in CA. I think it is the only state which still allows this. You do have to undergone a qualifying course of study and getting an actual job is another matter entirely.....

You can find some info here :

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/state/calba...Education.html

lairdside

Ah - Virigina too eh ? Learn something new everyday !

lairdside

I believe NYC is pretty good about allowing foreign qualified attorneys at least some equivalency. It will allow British solictors who have attended a non-correspondance course to sit the bar under most circumstances. It's more dificult if they gained their LLB via correspondance.

Barristers generally have less of a problem

Folinskyinla

Hi:

See the following link for admission to the California Bar Examination for attorneys admitted to practice OUTSIDE of the United States:

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/77sf.pdf

The general website for the California Bar can be found at ww.calbar.ca.gov

I used to work with an immigration attorney who had been a solicitor in South Africa. He never attended a US law school.

I recall that there was a small firm some years ago in the "Century City" office park in LA where the two partners were English lawyers -- one had been a "barrister" in the UK, the other a "solicitor." They found it amusing that they would NOT have been allowed to practice law together in the UK!

lairdside

I was going to post this link (after I'd read it )

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs...outside-us.pdf