How do international students become lawyers in the United States?

How do international students become lawyers in the United States? Let's have a look.

Becoming a practicing lawyer in America is the ultimate goal of this group of people. This road is long and difficult, but if we can know the general process in advance, we will be less confused. Today, I will tell you in detail how international students become lawyers in the United States.

Some definitions of American legal system

Lawyer:

Both "agent" and "lawyer" refer to lawyers. They talk about the profession of litigating for clients or providing advice and consultation on legal rights and obligations.

Prosecutor/prosecuting counsel:

A person who brings a public prosecution in court can be understood as a prosecutor or a public prosecution lawyer.

Public defender:

A lawyer who holds public office and defends defendants who cannot afford legal aid.

Judge:

A judge, a government official who is allowed to make decisions in court.

In-house corporate counsel:

Legal adviser, a lawyer employed by the company's legal department. Enterprise legal advisers can only serve the enterprises they employ.

In the American legal system, there is no distinction between "junior lawyer" and "senior lawyer", but private or public can be distinguished by the type of employer.

Lawyers working in the private sector usually work in large and small law firms, enterprises or institutions;

Lawyers who work for the public sector usually work for the government or non-profit organizations.

Whether you want to be a judge, prosecutor, company lawyer or office lawyer, your education in the United States is the same.

How do international students become lawyers in the United States?

LL。 M process

J.d. process

law school admission test

The full English name of LSAT is the law school entrance examination, which is also the law school entrance examination.

LSAT is one of the many standards used by American law schools to measure whether students can be admitted to study law. It includes standard tests of reading, oral expression and reasoning ability. The United States, Canada and many other countries in the world are using LSAT.

Examination form

The first stage of the exam includes five 35-minute multiple-choice questions. Four of them will be used as candidates' scores, including reading, analysis, logical reasoning and other tests;

The non-scoring part is usually used to test new questions or new forms of LSAT. However, because students can't tell whether each part is scored before the results are announced, they still need to complete all five parts carefully;

The second stage is a non-scoring writing test, which is also 35 minutes. Although writing is not included in the LSAT score, this article will be sent to the admission Committee of the law school where you applied, and will be considered as one of the factors whether to admit you.

Lawyers' examination

After graduating from law school, the bar exam is the only way for you to become a practicing lawyer in America.

Every state in the United States has different regulations on the qualifications for applying for the bar exam. Which state in the United States can apply?

All American law doctor graduates can take the bar exam in any state in the United States;

For LL. M graduates, the situation is different. According to the latest regulation of 20 17, only five states in the United States allow LL. M graduates take the bar exam. They are California, New York, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, and they must graduate from ABA-accredited law schools.

Students can take the bar exam and practice in many States in the United States, but they must also abide by different regulations in each state. -American Bar Association's Comprehensive Guide to Lawyers' Qualification Requirements, 20 17.

Once you pass the American bar exam, you can get the lawyer's license in your state and practice in your state. Practitioners can then choose to become judges, prosecutors, law professors, public defenders, corporate legal advisers and other specific positions, during which they do not need to take any official examinations (except for individual unofficial processes such as enterprise entrance examinations or interviews).

Lawyer exam composition

The specific composition of the American bar exam varies from state to state, but most States are composed of the following two parts:

The first part is MPRE on the left, the professional behavior literacy test of the legal profession. The exam is held three times a year for 2 hours each time, and 60 multiple-choice questions need to be completed.

MPRE is listed as a compulsory test in almost all states in the United States (except Maryland and Wisconsin).

The second part is UBE's unified judicial examination for Rightists and trans-states.

UBE is also highly accepted in American States, about 50%, but it also means that half of the regions have their own judicial examination system.

UBE exam is divided into three small exams, MBE, MEE and MPT.

MBE-6 hours and 200 multiple-choice questions;

MEE——30 minutes of writing;

MPT-90-minute real case task.

Every state in the United States has almost absolute autonomy in the judicial examination, including the qualifications of candidates, the number of make-up exams, the scoring mechanism, the passing score, the validity period of results and so on.

So I suggest that students studying law in the United States:

When choosing a school, we should consider the general state geographical location and possible employment areas;

When I get to school, I will consult other important details in law school that I can't understand at home.

I would like to introduce how international students become lawyers in the United States, hoping to help applicants.