In-house counsel
Working as a company's lawyer in the United States without taking the bar exam. In 18 states your license from another country is enough; in 3 others, the route is the Foreign Legal Consultant license.
In one minute
- Do I have to take the bar exam? No
- Whom can I work for? Only your employer
- Can I go to court? No
- Does it give me a U.S. work permit? No: that is separate
- Where can I work this way with only my foreign license? 18 states confirmed; others, to be confirmed
What it is
In-house counsel: the company's lawyer
Many companies in the United States have lawyers on staff: in-house counsel. If you are admitted in another country and a company hires you in one of these states, you can register with the court or the bar to work as its lawyer without taking the bar exam.
Each state gives it a name: Authorized House Counsel in Florida, Registered In-House Counsel in New York. It is a registration, not a license: it authorizes you to work for your employer and no one else.
What every state shares
A single client: your employer
You work exclusively for the company or organization that hires you, and its affiliates. You do not advise the public or other clients.
Admitted in your country
Being a member in good standing of a recognized and regulated legal profession in another country.
A registration with the state
In almost every state you register with the supreme court or the bar, with a character and fitness investigation, a fee and periodic renewal, often with continuing education. Some do not require registration, such as Alaska and North Carolina, or Indiana if you have no office in the state.
No courts
You do not appear in the state's courts on behalf of your employer. For that, the company hires a licensed lawyer.
It ends with the job
If you leave the company, the registration ends. With a new employer, as a rule, you must register again.
It is not a work permit
The registration does not give you a visa or immigration status. To work in the United States you need, separately, work authorization.
What changes, state by state
The 18 states where you can work this way with only your license from another country, almost always with a registration, what each one adds and whether it allows pro bono work.
| State | Rule | What it adds for a lawyer from another country | Pro bono |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Rule of Professional Conduct 5.5(d)(1) and (e) (Order 1905, 2017) | No registration. Only for your employer; if advice on Alaska or U.S. law is needed, on the basis of advice from a licensed lawyer. | The rule does not provide for it. |
| Arizona | Rule 38(a) (copy of the text) | Only for your employer; a course on Arizona law. | Yes, through an approved legal services organization. |
| Connecticut | Practice Book §2-15A | Moving to Connecticut within 3 months. | Yes, with supervision. |
| Delaware | Rule 55.1 | At the discretion of the Delaware Supreme Court. No residency requirement. | Yes. |
| Florida | Chapter 17 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar | A legal profession subject to effective regulation in your country; living in Florida or moving there within 6 months; meeting The Florida Bar's CLE requirement every 3 years (rule 17-1.9). | Yes, as an emeritus lawyer (chapter 12), through an approved organization and with supervision. |
| Illinois | Rule 716, amended in 2026 (copy of the text) | The education requirements of rule 715(c); an ethics course for foreign lawyers if you have been licensed for fewer than 15 years. | No, for someone with only a foreign license. |
| Indiana | Rule 5.5(d)(1); with an office, Admission and Discipline Rule 6, section 2 | Without an office in Indiana, no registration is needed. With an office, the Business Counsel License (since August 1, 2026): at least 1,000 hours a year for your employer and the limits of a Foreign Legal Consultant, such as not appearing in court. | The rule does not provide for it. |
| Iowa | Rule 31.16 | Not advising on Iowa or U.S. law except on the basis of advice from a licensed lawyer. | No. |
| Massachusetts | Supreme Judicial Court Rule 4:02(9) | A recognized legal profession; registration with the Board of Bar Overseers. | No. |
| Missouri | Rule 8.105 | A recognized legal profession; English translations of your documents. | Yes, through an organization approved by The Missouri Bar. |
| New Hampshire | Rule of Professional Conduct 5.5(d)(1) and (e) | The rule sets no registration (its comment warns there may be requirements). Only for your employer; if advice on U.S. law is needed, on the basis of advice from a licensed lawyer. | The rule does not provide for it. |
| New Jersey | Rule 1:27-2A (copy of the text) | Not advising on New Jersey or U.S. law. | No. |
| New York | Part 522 | No residency requirement. | Yes, under the direct supervision of a New York lawyer. |
| North Carolina | Rule of Professional Conduct 5.5(d)(1) | No registration in the rule, even with an office in the state. Only for your employer; if advice on U.S. law is needed, on the basis of advice from a licensed lawyer. | The rule does not provide for it. |
| Tennessee | Rule 7, section 10.01 | Not advising on Tennessee or U.S. law except on the basis of advice from a licensed lawyer; 3 letters of reference. | No. |
| Virginia | Rule 1A:5, Part II | Admitted only outside the U.S., in a recognized legal profession; your work must not have a specific connection to Virginia. | The rule does not provide for it. |
| Washington | APR 8(f) | Only for your employer. | No. |
| Wisconsin | SCR 10.03(4)(f) | Registering within 60 days of starting work. | Yes. |
The official forms
Florida
You apply to The Florida Bar and pay a US$1,650 fee: online, in its member portal, with a username you register first; or on paper, with the offline form. Certificates of good standing must be no more than 30 days old (the online application says 60; the checklist says 30).
- Application page, with all the forms
- Online application, in The Florida Bar member portal: it asks you to register a username and starts with paying the fee
- Checklist of what you must file
- Offline paper form, which also works as a sample of what they ask (PDF)
- Certification of Applicant, to be signed before a notary (PDF)
- Certificate of good standing: a form for the authority in your country, if it does not issue its own (PDF)
- Certificate from the company that employs you (PDF)
New York
Use the forms for attorneys not admitted in the U.S.: there are others for those already licensed in a state. They are filed with the Appellate Division.
Texas
It is the same application as the Foreign Legal Consultant one, in ATLAS, with the same fee. The employee route is the one in rule 14, section 1(b).
What they ask about your character
With the Foreign Legal Consultant license
-
Colorado
The Foreign Legal Consultant license lets you work for an organization; not advise on Colorado or U.S. law.
-
Minnesota
As a Foreign Legal Consultant, with an exception for someone who works as in-house counsel for a single employer.
-
Texas
As a Foreign Legal Consultant, only as an employee of an entity that does not provide legal services; you can advise it on Texas and U.S. law within your job. 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.
What a Foreign Legal Consultant is
To be confirmed. In Kentucky, New Mexico, North Dakota and Oregon, the rule does not make clear whether a lawyer admitted only in another country can register; in Kansas, two rules contradict each other. Also, according to the Pro Bono Institute (July 2026), South Dakota has a registration for lawyers from other countries, and in the District of Columbia, Georgia, Montana, West Virginia and Wyoming a lawyer from another country can work for their employer without registering, often with limits. We are confirming it in each one's rule. If you are interested in one of them, ask the court or the bar in writing before you accept the job.
In the other states, under their rules, in-house counsel registration is only for lawyers licensed in another U.S. state, or does not exist. See the table of all states
What it costs and whom you pay
What each state charges, in the three we have studied in depth so far: Florida, New York and Texas. We will add the others with each new guide.
| State | To apply | To keep it | Paid to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | US$1,650, non-refundable (October 2026). | Every year, the same fee an active member of The Florida Bar pays: US$265 today. | The Florida Bar: online, in its member portal, or with the paper application. |
| New York | There is no application fee today. | You register every two years; no fee today. | Nothing for now. The application is emailed as a PDF to the Appellate Division of your department. |
| Texas | US$990, plus US$10 for the designation of an agent for service of process. Non-refundable. It is the same application as the Foreign Legal Consultant one. | Every year, US$150; US$300 if you renew within the 180-day grace period. | The Texas Board of Law Examiners, online, in its ATLAS system. |
It does not include what is paid separately: certificates and letters from your country, translations, the notary and, in Florida, continuing legal education courses. Pay each fee directly to the institution in the table. Fees change: confirm them on the official page before you pay.
Is it for you?
It suits you if…
- A company in one of these states offers you a job as its lawyer.
- You already work for a company in your country that is transferring you to the United States.
- You want to practice and gain experience in the United States while you decide whether to take the bar exam.
Look at another route if…
- You want to advise several clients on your country's law Foreign Legal Consultant
- You want to take cases or advise the public on U.S. law The bar exam
- You want to serve the community while you prepare Pro bono and legal aid
Where NAFA comes in
You apply for the registration yourself, with your employer's support. In the membership orientation we review with you whether the state of the job offer allows it and what it will ask of you.
Sources
Reviewed on October 15, 2026. Each state's rule is linked in the table above. Rules change: confirm the current one with the state's court or bar before you accept a job.
- The Florida Bar: Authorized House Counsel application checklist (US$1,650 fee)
- New York State Unified Court System: in-house counsel registration (no application or registration fees at this time; application by email)
- NCBE: Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements 2026, Chart 16 (registration of in-house counsel not admitted in the state)
- Pro Bono Institute: Foreign Lawyer In-House Rules (July 2026), the list of states where a lawyer from another country can work as in-house counsel, with or without registration
- American Bar Association: Commission on Ethics 20/20 (2013 amendment to the model rule for in-house counsel)
- The Florida Bar: Rules, chapter 17 (Authorized House Counsel Rule), edition of October 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals: Part 522, registration of in-house counsel (section 522.8, pro bono)
- Texas Board of Law Examiners: Foreign Legal Consultant application instructions (US$990 fee), also for the employee route
- Texas Board of Law Examiners: admission rules, rule 14, section 1(b) (the employee route; effective September 18, 2026)
This page is for information and is not legal advice. The decision on your registration belongs to each state's supreme court or bar.
Do you have a job offer?
We guide you on what the state requires before you accept.
Is the company in Florida? Share our guide for employers with it: Hiring a foreign-trained lawyer as in-house counsel.