BECOME A LAWYER IN THE USA

BECOME A LAWYER IN THE USA ...
For those who wish to become a lawyer in the United States of America, the article below provides some lessons in this area.




Focus
The United States allows a student wishing to become a lawyer a particularly democratic choice to access this profession. Full-time or in evening classes, over three or four years, in a prestigious school or a modest establishment with only ten students. For a cost of over $ 150,000 or just $ 5,000.

For some time now, the “on line law schools” have widened the gap, offering flexibility and cost beyond comparison with more prestigious establishments. They train judges and lawyers who prove every day that the quality of training is not exclusive to the most prestigious establishments.

There are five possibilities for obtaining the Juris Doctor:

- 1. Full-time ABA accredited brick and mortar law school or evening course.
- 2. Brick and Mortar Law School not ABA accredited but mandatorily authorized to award courses and diplomas by at least one state in the United States on a full-time or evening course.
- 3. Online Law School accredited full-time DETC or by evening course.
- 4. On-line Law School not DETC accredited but obligatorily authorized to deliver courses and diplomas by at least one state of the United States full-time or by evening course.
The LSAT is not compulsory for non-ABA law schools.
- 5. Full-time law office study, which is in fact a form of apprenticeship.

Given the duality of the judicial system in the United States (state law and federal law), once we have obtained the Juris Doctor, our new graduate has several choices: become an Attorney at Law (or Lawyer) in state law (with bar examination (or by gateway for law professors) of the state in which one intends to practice or in federal law (with admission to the federal court by examination or by gateway for law professors) in a company (in house corporate) in as a soldier or by teaching as a professor (law teaching).

The choice between a lawyer in state or federal law is particularly crucial for the future of our young graduate.
For the first option, an examination at the bar of the state in which one intends to practice is compulsory. It allows the lawyer admitted to this bar to intervene in all areas of law but exclusively within the state (he will nevertheless need to submit an application for admission to federal courts) He will therefore practice law. of New York State (for example) and not the totally inadequate term "American law" ...
The second option allows you to practice at the federal level but only in federal law: bankruptcy law, immigration law, intellectual property law, federal criminal law ... come under federal law.
The practice of federal law is the preserve of highly specialized, ultra mobile lawyers, organized in the form of 'shops' (unlike international law firms) bearing the name of the lawyer to better assert his (strong) personality. : a lawyer practicing federal law is accountable only to the judge of the federal court before which he practices!

What about the foreign lawyer wishing to practice in the United States?

The United States allows "foreign lawyers" to practice after applying for "Attorney Admisssion" in the local bar and / or federal court. This is not a test, the main thing being to already be a "lawyer" in the country of origin; he will have to pay an annual subscription and possibly benefit from the support of a "sponsorship" (local lawyer).
So taking into account the treaty ratified between France and the United States (treaty of November 25, 1959) it is all the easier for a French lawyer to work in the United States.
France, curiously, requires the American lawyer to review Article 100 ...

In the case of a non-lawyer lawyer (student who has validated Law degrees at Master level) it is imperative that he is in possession of a diploma recognized by American bars as well as by the Federal Courts: Juris Doctor or LLM.
Several states and federal courts accept degrees obtained online.