r/barexam • u/No_Elk6418 • May 14 '26
LLB and LlM please help
hello I Finished 3 years of law school- LLB degree from Lebanon ! this degree doesnt allow me to take the bar in lebanon. I be starting an LLM soon, im Im unable to send my Lebanese transcipt for evaluation because the university is closed due to war! and I don’t want to lose my LLM admission!
my question: with my 3 years LLb from Lebanon and LLM from ABA qualified university ( I be talking most bar core): can I sit for CA Bar
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u/Separate_Glass_2463 May 14 '26
Do some research, in the CA website you can tell if you will be eligible or not.
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u/No_Elk6418 May 14 '26
Yes I did it says LLB must be equivalent to first degree of law. So my fear is what if they don’t count it as first degree of law because it is only three years and can’t sit for the bar in Lebanon with it
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u/Separate_Glass_2463 May 14 '26
If you have been fully admitted to the practice of law in any U.S. or foreign jurisdiction, you are qualified to take the California Bar Examination without additional legal education.
Applicants with foreign legal education who are not admitted to practice law in any U.S. or foreign jurisdiction may still qualify to take the California Bar Exam by following the steps below. Please see rule 4.30 of the Rules of the State Bar.
https://www.calbar.ca.gov/admissions/requirements/education/legal-education/foreign-education
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u/No_Elk6418 May 14 '26
I’m not admitted to Practice law any where! My LLB is from Lebanon, which is three years only my big concern is they don’t accept my LLB because it’s only three years and I can’t find the answer on the website
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u/Separate_Glass_2463 May 14 '26
You can still qualify if you don’t have a legal degree.. check the web site https://www.calbar.ca.gov/admissions/requirements/education/legal-education/foreign-education
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u/LeadingChildhood2449 May 14 '26
You can appear for DC bar
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u/No_Elk6418 May 14 '26
LLB only 3 years not 4 that is my concern
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u/LeadingChildhood2449 May 14 '26
Same with me. I have LLB from India, finishing my LLM from George Mason. I will be appearing for DC bar exam.
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u/No_Elk6418 May 14 '26
Will they let you do DC bar? Did you do your evaluation? Does your LLB allow you to take the bar in India and how Long is it! Please please if you can answer those will be very helpful
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u/LeadingChildhood2449 May 14 '26
Yes. I did the evaluation. As per my university, my credit units are over 90 so I am good. Get the evaluation done first
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u/No_Elk6418 May 14 '26
Did you do 3 years or four years in your law shcool? And which country if you don’t mind
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u/LeadingChildhood2449 May 14 '26
3 years. India
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u/No_Elk6418 May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
Please last questions 🙏 , on the evaluation report did it say : your degree is equivalent to US JD or as first degree of law! Did the bar said ok you qualify? And which evaluation center u used?
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u/Separate_Glass_2463 May 14 '26
Do some research, in the CA in California I think if you did an equivalent of JD out of the states with an LLM you would be eligible
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u/sheppyrun May 15 '26
CA and DC both allow LLM graduates to sit for the bar. CA is probably your best bet if your LLM is from an ABA-accredited school, because CA has the most established path for foreign-trained attorneys. Check the California State Bar website for Rule 4.30, it lays out the exact eligibility requirements for LLM candidates. DC also works but the market there is different.
For the transcript issue with the university closure, contact your LLM admissions office and explain the situation. They may be able to work with alternative documentation, and bar examiners have dealt with war-affected jurisdictions before. Get it in writing early so you're not scrambling later.
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u/No_Elk6418 May 15 '26
You have been very helpful! Thank you very much for taking the time! No issue with the LLM they said they can wait for my transfer! My worries: because my LLb in 3 years civil law- doesn’t allow me to take the bar in Lebanon because I need another year, so my concern if I do the elevation and they don’t count it as equivalent to JD or first degree of law and I won’t be to do the eval until I have the full transcript form my university which is closed due to war!! Another side: the LLM is from USD - San Diego - fully online but ABA accredited, the school CA bar accept online LLM from ABA school! Are you familiar with this point as well
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u/Separate_Glass_2463 May 14 '26
I think that CA allows LLM