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Foreign-trained lawyers in California

California is the most direct state for a lawyer already admitted in their own country: you can take the bar exam without additional study in the United States. It also offers registration as a Foreign Legal Consultant. It has no admission without examination, and its in-house counsel registration and pro hac vice are only for lawyers licensed in the United States.

The five routes in California

For a lawyer admitted only in another country. Each route has its own section below, with the official rule. What each one is

Bar exam with a foreign degree
Yes, if you are admitted in your country
Temporary practice
Only in part
Admission without exam from another state
No
Last reviewed
October 15, 2026

The California route

If you are admitted as a lawyer in your country, California does not ask you for an LL.M. or other study in the United States: it asks you to pass its exam. That is why, for many lawyers trained abroad, it is the most direct route to a full license.

  1. Register with the State Bar

    In its applicant portal. You mail a Certificate of Good Standing from the last six months, with a certified English translation. No credential evaluation is needed.

  2. Pass the MPRE

    NCBE's professional responsibility exam, which California requires of every applicant.

  3. Obtain the moral character determination

    The State Bar's investigation of your background. It is best to start it early.

  4. Take the General Bar Examination

    Two days, in person and in California: five essays and a performance test on the first day, and the 200 multiple-choice questions of the MBE on the second.

  5. Practice, and then look at other states

    With a California license you are admitted in a U.S. state. Other states take it into account under their own rules: Florida, for example, opens its exam to you after five years of practice, or two with an LL.M. that meets its criteria.

What this route does require is preparation: you take the exam without having studied U.S. law, and California's exam is known as one of the most demanding in the country.

It is the route that Dr. Humphrey Humberto Pachecker, founder of NAFA, wanted to open to lawyers trained abroad: no further study, with good preparation for the exam.

Foreign Legal Consultant

Rule 9.44 of the California Rules of Court and chapter 4 of title 3 of the Rules of the State Bar allow you to register as a Registered Foreign Legal Consultant and advise in California on the law of the country where you are admitted, without taking the bar exam. The State Bar of California keeps the registry.

Requirements

  • Be admitted and in good standing as a lawyer in another country for at least 4 of the 6 years before the application, and have actually practiced the law of that country.
  • A positive moral character determination from the State Bar, with fingerprints. The State Bar warns that this review can take at least six months.
  • Maintain security to cover claims by your clients (insurance, a letter of credit or another accepted form), calculated in dollars.
  • Accept the jurisdiction of the California courts and the State Bar's discipline.
  • Renew the registration every year, with updated certificates of good standing and proof of the security.

What a Foreign Legal Consultant cannot do

  • Appear for another person in court or prepare pleadings for a proceeding.
  • Give advice on the law of California, of other states or of the United States.
  • Prepare documents about real estate in the United States, wills or trusts about property in the United States, or marriage or custody documents of U.S. residents.
  • Use any title other than "Registered Foreign Legal Consultant."

Costs and fees

  • To apply: US$3,364 in three parts: registration as an attorney applicant (US$310), the moral character determination (US$1,054) and the Foreign Legal Consultant application (US$2,000).
  • To keep it: Every year, US$1,112; US$278 more if you renew late.
  • Paid to: The State Bar of California, in its applicant portal.

Compare with other states

Official forms

The moral character application comes first, in the same portal: your application is not approved without a positive determination.

Read the official rule

With NAFA: we go through each requirement with you and your documents and, if you choose one-on-one guidance, we prepare the application together.

The bar exam

If you are fully admitted as a lawyer in another country, without restrictions, you can take the California exam without additional study in the United States and without a credential evaluation. If you are not admitted, State Bar rule 4.30 asks for more education, depending on your degree.

Requirements for a foreign degree

  • Admitted in your country: a certificate of good standing from the last six months, with your date of admission and your license number, and a certified English translation.
  • Like every applicant: pass the MPRE, obtain the moral character determination and pass the General Bar Examination.
  • With a foreign first law degree but no admission: a course-by-course evaluation by an agency approved by the State Bar and one year of law study at an ABA-approved or California-accredited law school. An LL.M. can meet it.
  • Without a first law degree: the First-Year Law Students' Examination (the "baby bar," FYLSX), unless exempt, and completing law studies in the United States.

Read the official rule

With NAFA: we guide you through each step of the route, and our courses prepare you in U.S. law and legal English.

Admission without exam for lawyers from other states

This is the route for a lawyer already licensed in another U.S. state (admission on motion). A license from another country or a Foreign Legal Consultant certification does not count.

California has no admission without examination and does not accept exam scores from another state. A lawyer with at least four years of active licensure in another U.S. jurisdiction can take a shorter exam, the Attorneys' Examination: only the written part, in one day.

Good to know

  • A license from another country does not give access to that shorter exam: lawyers admitted only outside the United States take the General Bar Examination.

See the official source

How it works in the rest of the country

Appearing in a single case (pro hac vice)

Rule 9.40 of the California Rules of Court allows a lawyer in good standing before a federal court or the highest court of a U.S. state or territory to appear in a single case, associated with a California lawyer. It does not include lawyers admitted only in another country.

Requirements

  • Not live in California, nor work or have substantial and regular activities in the state.
  • Associate with a member of the State Bar of California, who is the attorney of record.
  • Apply in writing in each case. The court decides.

Read the official rule

Temporary practice, without a state license

Handling a matter in the state on a temporary basis, without a license or registration there, as some rules allow a lawyer from another country to do: usually matters tied to the law of their own country or to international law.

California's temporary practice rules (rules 9.47 and 9.48 of the California Rules of Court) are only for lawyers licensed in another U.S. state. A lawyer from another country can act temporarily only in an international commercial arbitration (Code of Civil Procedure, sections 1297.185 to 1297.189), as we explain below, under "Other routes."

Read the official rule

Other routes

  • International commercial arbitration: since January 1, 2019 (Code of Civil Procedure sections 1297.185 to 1297.189), a lawyer who is a member in good standing of a recognized legal profession in another country, subject to effective regulation, may represent clients in an international commercial arbitration in California. One of several conditions is enough: for example, that the case is governed mainly by the law of another country or by international law, or that the lawyer acts together with a California lawyer. It does not cover, among others, consumer disputes or employment disputes in California.
  • In-house counsel: California's registration (rule 9.46 of the California Rules of Court) is only for lawyers licensed in another U.S. state, and it requires living in California.

Good to know

The California exam is offered twice a year, in February and July, only in person and at locations within the state. The essays and the performance test are written on a computer; the MBE is on paper.

With a California license, as with that of any state, you can represent clients before federal immigration agencies and courts throughout the country.

Bar associations in California

Independent associations of Hispanic lawyers, other communities, immigration lawyers and international lawyers. They are a good place to meet colleagues, find mentors and hear about events. Each one decides who can join: ask them directly.

Hispanic and Latino lawyers

Latin America, by country of origin

Immigration lawyers

International law and in-house lawyers

NAFA is not affiliated with these associations: we list them to help you find your way. Links taken from the directory of bar associations of the California Lawyers Association, checked on October 18, 2026. Missing one? Write to us.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change: always check the official source before you make a decision. Last reviewed: October 15, 2026.

Sources

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