Where can you get admitted with California DL degree

[jonlevy]

California DL grads can take the NM Bar if they are attorneys.

"Applicants from other law schools should have been engaged in the practice of law in another state or states for at least four (4) of the six (6) years immediately preceding his/her application for admission to practice in New Mexico.  Such an applicant should have been in good standing in such state or states."

be aware that New Mexico is very strict about interpreting the practice requirement, they expect you to physically practice in the state in which you are licensed.  They may not accept simply applying that state's law and are holding up a Taft grad who passed their bar for what is essentially a bogus reason, since one need not be physically anywhere to practice law full time, apparently NM has never heard of federal practice that permits any lawyer to practice nationwide in federal courts and before federal agencies which have their own various bar rules on who can practice.

[ipscientific]

Are you serious? Anywhere. This is America the land of innovation. If you present your case right, you will get a waiver and be able to sit for the bar. You are a US citizen and should be entitled to take the bar if you studied the law. Believe in yourself!

*edit* I'm optimistic so this is what I said. This is a personal belief. I believe you could attain the waiver in most states, if you pass the bar and have a JD that is accredited. I just don't see how they can deny your efforts if you attain the accredited JD and pass the bar.

[jonlevy]

Are you serious? Anywhere. This is America the land of innovation. If you present your case right, you will get a waiver and be able to sit for the bar. You are a US citizen and should be entitled to take the bar if you studied the law. Believe in yourself!

I agree but Bar Examiners are bound by their rules which exclude all manner of non ABA degrees specifically.

[ipscientific]

Are you serious? Anywhere. This is America the land of innovation. If you present your case right, you will get a waiver and be able to sit for the bar. You are a US citizen and should be entitled to take the bar if you studied the law. Believe in yourself!

I agree but Bar Examiners are bound by their rules which exclude all manner of non ABA degrees specifically.

Yea specifically but you apply for a waiver. Also,  I want to add this. You hear a lot about how biglaw is prestigious. I believe there is something more prestigious then biglaw...starting your own business and working for yourself. If you have a JD and a skill and you can't start your own business and be successful then I really don't know what to tell ya. If you pass the bar in CA and can't start your own law firm and find clients I don't know what to tell ya. Why spend years educating yourself to work for someone else your entire life. I can understand a year or two to get experience but after that you should understand enough of your field to be successful on your own.That's my 50 cents and I think that it's priceless. Good luck!

[jonlevy]

Do you think they pass out waivers just for the asking like cotton candy at the state fair?  Why would anyone be entitled to a waiver from the rules in the first place which are put there to specifically keep them out of the bar?  That is not my experience, you need to comply with the rules twice over if you are a non ABA attorney. In fact, the only states that will consider a California DL degree lawyer for sure are: DC, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Maryland. DC I know for a fact. New Mexico is uncertain in practice. As for Iowa, Wisconsin, and Maryland, they look striaghtforward on paper but this is no guarantee.

Still be a mmeber of two of the largest bars in the US, California and DC, is pretty good for a degree that cost a fraction an ABA degree.

You may note that Taft is very conservative about promsing anything except a ticket to the state bar.

[ipscientific]

Do you think they pass out waivers just for the asking like cotton candy at the state fair?  Why would anyone be entitled to a waiver from the rules in the first place which are put there to specifically keep them out of the bar?  That is not my experience, you need to comply with the rules twice over if you are a non ABA attorney. In fact, the only states that will consider a California DL degree lawyer for sure are: DC, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Maryland. DC I know for a fact. New Mexico is uncertain in practice. As for Iowa, Wisconsin, and Maryland, they look striaghtforward on paper but this is no guarantee.

Still be a mmeber of two of the largest bars in the US, California and DC, is pretty good for a degree that cost a fraction an ABA degree.

You may note that Taft is very conservative about promsing anything except a ticket to the state bar.

Not like cotton candy but assuming that you attain the Taft JD and pass the CA bar why would a state not grant you a waiver? If they didn't grant it then I would appeal. Taft isn't ABA approved and does not have to be. They are in California. They are also accredited by an accrediting body that is approved by the Department of Education. I do not see how a state can not grant a waiver to someone that studies the law for 4 years, documents it, attains the Taft JD, which is accredited and has the Department of Education stamp on it, and passes the CA bar. If this individual cannot get a waiver then don't you think something is wrong with the system? That is my argument, therefore, this individual earned it.

[jonlevy]

I think Taft's own materials support this:

Taft is non ABA, it is not accredited, it is registered with the state bar, it is a correspondence school.  Most states specifically in their rules exclude non ABA and correspondence schools.  They do so because they do not want you to be a member of their bar. Short of some extraordinary circumstances they are not going to grant a waiver and they are most assuredly not going to grant a waiver for a non resident.

Of course something is wrong - it is called the ABA.

The department of Education stamp is irrelevant, only California and ABA accreditation matter and Taft does not have either not does taft ever represent that it does.

Once you pass FYBE, you can worry about these matters, until then my advice is concentrate on the FYBE,.

[LincolnLover]

Waivers still must meet qualifications to be approved as waivers. You can't apply for a waiver to whatever you want and just "present it the right way". You can't just "try hard enough" and turn water into wine.

[ipscientific]

I think Taft's own materials support this:

Taft is non ABA, it is not accredited, it is registered with the state bar, it is a correspondence school.  Most states specifically in their rules exclude non ABA and correspondence schools.  They do so because they do not want you to be a member of their bar. Short of some extraordinary circumstances they are not going to grant a waiver and they are most assuredly not going to grant a waiver for a non resident.

Of course something is wrong - it is called the ABA.

The department of Education stamp is irrelevant, only California and ABA accreditation matter and Taft does not have either not does taft ever represent that it does.

Once you pass FYBE, you can worry about these matters, until then my advice is concentrate on the FYBE,.

Thanks. Taft is accredited by DETC. I disagree that the Department of Education stamp is irrelevant. I'm a resident of Maryland and do not believe I will have a problem. Even if I did, I would be fine in relocating to California. http://www.courts.state.md.us/ble/pdfs/waiver_rule.pdf

[ipscientific]

Waivers still must meet qualifications to be approved as waivers. You can't apply for a waiver to whatever you want and just "present it the right way". You can't just "try hard enough" and turn water into wine.

No one is trying to apply for a waiver to whatever they want. The waiver applied for would be to sit for another states bar exam. This is the waiver for graduates of Non ABA Law Schools for Maryland. http://www.courts.state.md.us/ble/pdfs/waiver_rule.pdf    Let's keep in mind that this person has already passed the CA bar.

The whole point of applying for a waiver is presenting it the right way. Your not turning water into wine. You are using your JD that you earned from an accredited law school, your documentation of your study of the law for 4 years, your undergraduate and graduate degrees, work experience, and the passing of the CA bar to another state to take the bar of another. More like moving wine from one state to another.

Do you not think a US born citizen that has put this much work into becoming an attorney should be eligible to take the bar exam in another state if they passed the bar of another? The states formed a union long ago and it is called the United States of America. I believe that the American Dream is still alive in a lot of us.