A foreign-trained lawyer has more than one route, and which one works depends on the state and on the lawyer's education. These are the five, with what each one allows.
Professor Emerita Laurel S. Terry, of Penn State Dickinson Law, groups into five the ways a lawyer admitted in another country can practice in the United States. Three give a license or a registration in the state: the bar exam, Foreign Legal Consultant certification and in-house counsel registration. The other two let the lawyer act without a state license, temporarily or in a single case: temporary practice and pro hac vice. Each state decides which ones it offers. Source: Laurel S. Terry, map of the five routes: Jurisdictions with Rules Regarding Foreign Lawyer Practice (June 5, 2018).
The rules change from one state to another. The examples are from states we have checked in their official source.
With a state license or registration
Foreign Legal Consultant
A certification to advise in a state on the law of the country where you are admitted, without taking the bar exam.
34 U.S. jurisdictions offer it, according to NCBE's 2026 guide.
Who grants it: Each state's supreme court or admissions body.
What it usually requires
Being admitted as a lawyer in another country and in good standing.
Several years of recent practice. In Florida, 3 of the last 5.
Passing a character and fitness investigation, which NCBE carries out in many states.
In some states, such as Florida, keeping an office in the state.
It does not allow you to: In general, appearing in court or advising on U.S. or state law.
The bar exam
Full admission as a lawyer in a state: you can practice in any area and take cases to court.
38 of 56 jurisdictions allow graduates of foreign law schools to take the exam, with conditions, according to NCBE's 2026 guide. In 7 of them, only if you are already licensed in another state.
Who grants it: Each state's board of bar examiners.
What it usually requires
An evaluation of your degree by the state's board, directly or through a service it approves.
Often, additional study at an ABA-approved law school, such as an LL.M.
Passing the exam and the character and fitness investigation.
Examples
California: if you are already a lawyer admitted in another country, you can take the exam with no additional study. The First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSX, the "baby bar") is for other cases, such as someone who studied law abroad without earning a first degree.
New York: your degree must be equivalent in length and in content to a degree from a U.S. law school, and equivalence in content is possible only if your country's law is based on the English common law. That is why, with a degree from a civil-law country, as in every Spanish-speaking country, you always need a 24-credit LL.M. from an ABA-approved law school, and your degree must be equivalent in length. First you must ask the Board for an advance evaluation.
Texas: with a degree from a civil-law country, three things together: your degree, equivalent in length; authorization to practice in your country or in another state; and an LL.M. that meets the criteria of its rule 13, from an approved law school. Good news: the LL.M. can include synchronous online classes, taught live.
Louisiana: with an equivalency determination for your education, 14 semester credits in certain subjects at an ABA-accredited law school, up to 6 of them by distance learning.
Florida: a foreign degree or an LL.M. is not enough; you must also have practiced in another U.S. jurisdiction: two years with an LL.M. that meets the Board's criteria, five without it.
In some states, a lawyer admitted in another country can register to work as in-house counsel for a company.
In 18 states your license from another country is enough, under each state's rule, and in others it is still to be confirmed. In Colorado, Minnesota and Texas, the route is the Foreign Legal Consultant license.
Who grants it: Each state's supreme court or admissions body.
What it usually requires
Working exclusively, and for pay, for a company that is your only client.
In almost all of them, registering with the state's court or bar.
In Florida, living in the state or moving there within six months.
Examples
Florida: Authorized House Counsel, in chapter 17 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. Once registered, you can also do pro bono work as an emeritus lawyer (chapter 12), through an approved legal aid organization and under the supervision of a Florida lawyer.
New York: Registered In-House Counsel (Part 522). A lawyer admitted only in another country can register and, once registered, do pro bono work under the direct supervision of a New York lawyer.
Texas: as a Foreign Legal Consultant who works only as an employee of a company or organization (rule 14, section 1(b)). Good news: if your country makes you give up your license to work for a company, you can qualify by proving 3 of the last 5 years of practice.
It does not allow you to: Advising other clients or appearing in court, except the supervised pro bono work some states allow.
Without a state license: temporarily or in a single case
Temporary practice: handling a matter without a state license
Some states let a lawyer admitted only in another country handle matters there temporarily, when they are tied to the lawyer's practice: what is called "fly-in, fly-out." As a rule there is no application or registration: the rule allows it if you meet its conditions.
Under their current rules, Florida, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia allow it. Only in part: Arizona, California, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Washington. To be confirmed in 39 jurisdictions: we are reading each one's rule.
Who authorizes it: Each state's supreme court, in its rules of professional conduct (almost always rule 5.5) or in a rule of its own.
What the states that allow it usually require
Being a member in good standing of a recognized and regulated legal profession in your country.
That the matter fits one of the cases in the rule: together with a lawyer of the state who takes part in the matter; tied to a proceeding, an arbitration or a mediation; or tied to your practice or to a client from your country.
Not opening an office or having a continuous presence in the state, and not holding yourself out as a lawyer of the state.
In some states, such as Virginia, telling the client in writing beforehand that you are not admitted there.
Examples
New York: Part 523 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals has included, since 2015, members of a recognized legal profession outside the United States.
Florida: rule 4-5.5(d) is written for the lawyer "admitted only in a jurisdiction outside the United States." For arbitrations, rule 1-3.11 as well.
Pennsylvania and New Mexico also allow it; Virginia, after telling the client in writing.
Arizona, North Carolina and New Hampshire, only in part: they keep temporary practice for U.S. lawyers, but let you handle matters only of your country's law (below, "Working remotely or from an office in the state").
Massachusetts, Utah and Wisconsin, on the other hand, keep it for lawyers from another U.S. state.
It does not allow you to: Practicing the state's law, opening a law office there or advertising yourself as a lawyer of the state. Nor appearing in its courts: for that you need pro hac vice.
Pro hac vice: appearing in a single case
Permission from the court for a lawyer admitted in another jurisdiction to act in a specific case, together with a lawyer of the state. It is not a license to practice in that state.
Under their current rules, Arizona, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin allow it. To be confirmed in 37 jurisdictions: we are reading each one's rule.
Who authorizes it: The court hearing the case, under each state's rule.
What it usually requires
Being admitted and in good standing in another jurisdiction.
Associating with a lawyer admitted in the state, who is counsel of record.
Asking case by case and in each court, with a motion and, often, a fee.
Examples
Florida: only for lawyers admitted in another U.S. state, not in another country. More than 3 appearances in separate cases within 365 days are presumed to be general practice, which is not allowed.
New York: a lawyer admitted in a foreign country can ask for it too, associated with a New York lawyer who handles the case.
Texas: a lawyer licensed in another country can ask for it too, if they live outside Texas: first they pay the Board of Law Examiners US$250 per case, and then they ask the court for permission, together with a lawyer who lives and practices in Texas (rule 19).
It does not allow you to: Practicing generally in the state. And Foreign Legal Consultant certification, on its own, does not let you appear in court: a lawyer admitted in another country can ask for pro hac vice only where the state's rule allows it.
Which one suits you?
If you want to take cases to court or advise on U.S. law.
A license without the bar exam: diploma privilege and the new routes
A few states admit, without the bar exam, people who show their readiness in another way: by graduating from certain law schools, or through supervised practice and a portfolio of their work. More states join every year, and almost all of these routes are designed for graduates of U.S. law schools.
Wisconsin
Only with a degree from those two law schools
Diploma privilege
Graduates of the law schools of the University of Wisconsin and Marquette University are admitted without examination, under rule SCR 40.03.
Vigente desde hace décadas
New Hampshire
Only as a student in that J.D.
Daniel Webster Scholar Honors Program
A practical program within the J.D. of the University of New Hampshire's law school. Those who complete it can be admitted without the exam, after passing the MPRE (Supreme Court rule 42).
Vigente
Oregon
In limited cases
Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination
At least 675 hours of legal work supervised by an Oregon lawyer, and a portfolio with written work, negotiations and client interviews.
Aprobado en noviembre de 2023; en marcha desde mayo de 2024
Note: With a foreign degree, only if you are admitted in a common-law country, or in a U.S. state after passing its exam, and your education is equivalent to that of an ABA law school.
South Dakota
No
Public Service Pathway (piloto)
Up to 10 students per class at the University of South Dakota's law school, who commit to two years of public service.
Aprobado en febrero de 2025, por cinco años
Utah
No: it requires a J.D. from an ABA law school
Alternate Pathway
240 hours of supervised practice, certain law school courses and a written practical exam given by the bar. Applications depended on that exam being ready. For now, the license cannot be taken to another state.
Aprobado en septiembre de 2025; primer examen escrito previsto para agosto de 2026. Confirma las fechas con el Utah State Bar
Washington
Perhaps, once it takes effect
Experiential licensing pathway
The April 2026 proposal calls for 825 hours of supervised practice. For foreign degrees, it would repeat what is required for the exam today: a degree from a common-law country with recent practice, or an LL.M. from an approved law school.
Aprobada en principio en marzo de 2024; todavía no está en marcha
New Mexico
Not known yet: the rules are still to be written
Skills-based pathway
A law degree, at least 675 hours of supervised work over 12 months, a portfolio, the character investigation and an ethics exam.
Aprobado el 30 de julio de 2026; solicitudes previstas para mediados de 2027
What it means for you
Almost all of these routes are for graduates of U.S. law schools.
If your degree is from another country, two are worth following: Washington, whose proposal includes people with an LL.M. from an approved law school, and New Mexico, whose rules have not been written yet.
Some of these licenses cannot be taken to another state: Utah's, for now, cannot.
Limited licenses: practicing in some areas without the full license
Several states create limited licenses to serve people without a lawyer in specific areas, mostly family and housing. They are not a lawyer's license: they allow certain things, in certain cases, in that state. Two expressly accept foreign-trained lawyers with an LL.M.: Arizona and Colorado.
Arizona
Yes, with an LL.M. from an ABA law school
Legal Paraprofessional
Family, civil, criminal (minor offenses) and administrative law, with limits in each area. Besides the education, they ask for experience and two exams: a general one and one in the subject area.
Vigente desde 2021
Note: Among the degrees it accepts, the Arizona Supreme Court includes that of a foreign-trained lawyer with an LL.M. from an ABA-accredited law school.
Colorado
Yes, with an LL.M. that meets its rule
Licensed Legal Paraprofessional
Family law: divorce and separation, protection orders and name changes. It requires 1,500 hours of experience in the previous 36 months, 500 of them in Colorado family law, and an exam.
Vigente; requisitos revisados en 2025
Note: It accepts a first law degree from another country plus an LL.M. that qualifies you for the Colorado bar exam (rule 204.3).
Utah
Not mentioned: ask whether an LL.M. counts
Licensed Paralegal Practitioner
Family, evictions and debt collection. They accept a J.D. from an approved law school, paralegal degrees or a master's in legal studies "or equivalent" from an approved law school; also 1,500 hours of experience over three years and the ethics and subject-area exams.
Vigente desde 2019
Oregon
Not mentioned: ask about the waiver
Licensed Paralegal
Family and housing. They accept a paralegal degree, a J.D., a bachelor's degree in another discipline, a certification or a waiver, and ask for 1,500 hours of paralegal experience over 18 months (750 with a J.D.) and an exam.
Creada en 2023
Minnesota
Not mentioned
Legal Paraprofessional
Housing, protection orders, expungement, debts of up to 15,000 dollars and other matters, always under the supervision of a Minnesota lawyer.
Permanente desde enero de 2025
Texas
Does not exist yet
Licensed Legal Paraprofessional
The Supreme Court of Texas proposed this license and the court-access assistant license, and in November 2024 it postponed them to study the comments it received.
Propuesta en 2024 y aplazada en noviembre de 2024; no hay fecha nueva publicada
Washington
No longer admits new applicants
Limited License Legal Technician
It was the first license of this kind, for family law. Since 2020 it admits no one new, although those who already held it keep practicing.
Cerrada en 2020
What it means for you
A limited license is not a lawyer's license: it covers only certain areas and certain matters, in that state.
Arizona and Colorado accept foreign-trained lawyers with an LL.M.; both also ask for experience and an exam.
Almost all of them focus on family and housing, and ask for work experience in the same state.
In the United States, a law license is issued by a state: it admits you in one state, not in the whole country. Moving to another one later depends on that state's rules and on your education. That is why it is worth thinking about before you choose where to take the exam.
Admission without examination (admission on motion)
Many states admit without examination a lawyer who is already licensed in another state and has practiced for several years. It is a route for lawyers admitted in another U.S. jurisdiction: a license from another country does not count.
44 of 56 jurisdictions allow it, according to NCBE's 2026 guide. New York and Texas, for example, ask for 5 of the last 7 years of practice.
California, Florida, Louisiana, Delaware, Nevada, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico do not have it.
Five other jurisdictions, such as Hawaii and South Carolina, allow it only in limited cases.
Note: Foreign Legal Consultant certification does not count either: it is not an admission to the bar.
Reciprocity
Some states admit without examination only lawyers from states that do the same for theirs. It is a rule between U.S. states, not with other countries.
New York and Virginia, for example, require it; Texas, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia do not, according to NCBE's 2026 guide.
Note: A license from a state without admission on motion, such as California or Florida, does not open the doors of states that require reciprocity.
The ABA law school requirement
It is the obstacle that most surprises foreign-trained lawyers. You can pass the New York exam with your foreign degree and an LL.M., practice there for several years and still be unable to move without an exam to many states, because they ask for a degree from an ABA-approved law school.
32 jurisdictions require, for admission without examination, a degree from an ABA-approved law school, according to NCBE's 2026 guide. New York is one of them.
States with a route for foreign degrees
District of Columbia: it admits graduates of foreign law schools with several years as members in good standing of the bar of another U.S. jurisdiction.
Massachusetts: the Board may, at its discretion, accept a foreign degree, with its prior approval, 5 of the last 7 years of practice and the MPRE.
Texas: foreign-trained applicants who meet certain exceptions can qualify through their licensed practice or through an LL.M. that meets its requirements.
Virginia: a foreign degree plus an LL.M. from an ABA-approved law school, and having passed the bar exam of another jurisdiction.
The exact conditions are in each state's rule.
Note: This is starting to change. Since October 1, 2026, Florida no longer depends only on the ABA: it can also recognize law schools approved by other accreditors recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or approved by its Supreme Court. For now, the ABA is still the only recognized accreditor for the law degree.
Whoever takes the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) earns a score they can transfer to other jurisdictions that use it, without repeating the exam. Each one sets its minimum score and how long it accepts it, carries out its own character and fitness investigation, and may also require an exam or a course on its local law.
The exam is changing: between July 2026 and July 2028, most jurisdictions will move to the NextGen UBE. The current UBE is given until February 2028.
NextGen, state by state
It was given for the first time in July 2026, in jurisdictions such as Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon and Washington.
New York, Texas and Florida start in July 2028. Florida and New York will not accept NextGen scores earned before that date.
Florida, which today does not accept transferred UBE scores, will accept NextGen scores from July 2028, with a Florida requirement of its own.
Louisiana has not adopted NextGen.
NCBE data as of September 2026. Dates may change: confirm them with your state's board.
Choose your first state with the second one in mind
Where do you want to practice in five or ten years? If it is not the state where you take the exam, check now whether that state admits without examination and on what conditions.
Does your education meet the ABA law school requirement of the states that interest you? If not, look for those with a route for foreign degrees.
Will the exam you are going to take give you a score those states accept?
Are you interested in immigration law or another federal area? Any state's license lets you start.
An open debate: one license per state?
Remote work and clients in several states have opened a debate about the reach of a state license. The ABA, in Formal Opinion 495 (2020), and the Supreme Court of Florida, in 2021, accepted, with limits, that a lawyer may work remotely from a state where they are not licensed, on matters that are not of that state's law and without holding themselves out to the public as a lawyer there.
At the same time, The Florida Bar rejected admission on motion in 2015, with or without reciprocity, and NextGen will change which scores can be carried from one state to another. NAFA follows these changes and explains them to its members, in Spanish.
Your education is also valuable without a U.S. license. You can work, for example, in:
Compliance
Legal administration
Paralegal work, under the supervision of a licensed lawyer
Teaching
Beware of the word "notario." In many Latin American countries, a notary is a highly trained lawyer. In the United States, a notary public is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice: only licensed lawyers and certain accredited representatives can. Until you have a license here, do not offer legal services, including as a "notario." "Notario" is not a lawyer (in Spanish)
Without a U.S. license you cannot give legal advice on your own, but there are recognized ways to help others with your training, almost always through an organization and under supervision.
Accredited representative in immigration
Yes: it does not require a U.S. license
Department of Justice (EOIR)
A person who is not a U.S. lawyer can be accredited to represent immigrants if they work or volunteer at an organization recognized by the Department of Justice. With partial accreditation they act before the Department of Homeland Security; with full accreditation, also before the immigration courts and the BIA. Character and fitness are required, along with broad knowledge of and sufficient experience in immigration law. Accreditation lasts three years.
Note: The organization applies for your accreditation; you cannot get it on your own or by completing a course.
Pro bono as in-house counsel in New York
Only if you are registered as in-house counsel
New York Court of Appeals (Part 522)
A lawyer admitted in another country who is registered as in-house counsel for a company can do pro bono work, always under the direct supervision of a New York lawyer.
Pro bono as an emeritus lawyer in Florida
Only if you are authorized house counsel
Supreme Court of Florida (chapters 12 and 17)
Authorized House Counsel, who may be a lawyer admitted in another country, can be certified as an emeritus lawyer and work without pay for the clients of an approved legal aid organization, under the direct supervision of a Florida lawyer. With the client's written consent and the supervisor's approval, they can even appear in court. Criminal matters are not included.
Volunteer at a legal aid organization
Yes, without giving legal advice
Each organization
Many legal aid organizations take volunteers to interpret, translate, welcome the people who come in or support their lawyers. It is a good way to see the system from the inside, as long as you do not give legal advice yourself.
How NAFA helps you
You can apply on your own. With NAFA, you don't do it alone:
Orientation for your case
In the membership orientation we review with you your degree, your country and the state you are interested in.
You know which routes you have
Your credential evaluation tells you in which states and through which route.
Additional training, if you want it
Our courses, which are optional, strengthen your U.S. law, federal and state, and your legal English as you move forward. They do not replace any state requirement.
We support you, if you want
With one-on-one guidance, we prepare the application with you from start to finish.
Reviewed on October 15, 2026; temporary practice, pro hac vice and remote work on October 24, 2026. Before you apply, confirm the requirements in your state's official source.
