Juris Doctor Graduates of ABA approved Law Schools
Prospective applicants for the New York bar examination who are
pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at an ABA approved law school should
be aware that the requirements of Rule
520.3 may be more restrictive
than the ABA standards. Graduation from an ABA approved law school
does not automatically qualify an applicant to sit for the New York
bar examination. JD students and graduates should be aware of the
following:
Provisionally Approved Law Schools.
The law school which the applicant attended must have been approved
by the ABA during all periods of the applicant’s attendance.
Provisional ABA approval is acceptable provided that the law school
had provisional status during all periods of the applicant’s
attendance. If the law school did not have ABA approval during all
periods of the applicant’s attendance, it will be necessary for the
applicant to petition the Court of Appeals under Section
520.14 of
the Rules of the Court of Appeals, for a waiver of strict compliance
with the provisions of Section
520.3 of the Court Rules. Applicants
who will need to petition the Court of Appeals for a waiver should
do so as early as possible and preferably no later than 60 days
prior to the date of the bar examination.
Program of Study must satisfy the instructional requirements of Rule
520.3. Graduates of ABA approved law schools with a first degree in
law should be prepared to submit sufficient proof that the program
of study that they followed satisfies the instructional requirements
of Section 520.3, including the
residency requirements of subsections
(d) and (e).
Residency Requirements. All
applicants seeking to qualify for the New York bar examination on
the basis of graduation with a first degree in law from an ABA
approved law school or graduation from an unapproved law school or
foreign legal study must demonstrate that the program of study which
they pursued fully complies with the residency requirements of
either a full time program under Section
520.3(d) or a part time
program under Section
520.3(e). The rule sets forth minimum and
maximum number of calendar weeks in which the applicant may be in
residence in the law school program. The rule prevents an applicant
from completing their law school program of study in either too
short or too long of a period of time.
Rule
520.3(d) requires ”a full-time program shall consist of at
least 75 and no more than 105 calendar weeks in residence, including
reading periods not to exceed one week per semester and
examinations, of at least 10 classroom periods per week, scheduled
principally between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., totaling not
less than the equivalent of 1,120 hours of classroom study,
exclusive of examination time. A calendar week shall include four
days of scheduled classes; however, no more than three three-day
weeks per semester may be counted toward the 75-week minimum. A
semester which includes successful completion of at least 10 credit
hours per week of study shall be counted as 15 full-time weeks in
residence toward the residency weeks requirement of this
subdivision. As allowed under subdivision (h) of this section, a
summer session which includes successful completion of at least 5
credit hours per week of study shall be counted as 7.5 full-time
calendar weeks in residence toward the residency weeks requirement
of this subdivision.”
Rule 520.3(e) requires “a part-time program shall consist of at
least 105 and no more than 135 calendar weeks in residence,
including reading periods not to exceed one week per semester and
examinations, of at least eight classroom periods per week,
irrespective of the hours at which the classroom periods are
scheduled, totaling not less than the equivalent of 1,120 hours of
classroom study, exclusive of examination time. A calendar week
shall include three days of scheduled classes; however, no more than
three two-day weeks per semester may be counted toward the 105-week
minimum. A semester which includes successful completion of at least
8 credit hours per week of study shall be counted as 15 part-time
weeks in residence toward the residency weeks requirement of this
subdivision. As allowed under subdivision (h) of this section, a
summer session which includes successful completion of at least 4
credit hours per week of study shall be counted as 7.5 part-time
calendar weeks in residence toward the residency weeks requirement
of this subdivision."
As provided in Rule 520.3(d), a full-time student must successfully
complete a minimum of 10 credit hours per week of study, with
classes scheduled at least 4 days per week, to be entitled to
residency credit for a given semester or term. Part-time students
must successfully complete a minimum of 8 credit hours per week of
study, with classes scheduled at least 3 days per week, to be
entitled to residency credit for a given semester or term.
Generally, if a full-time student successfully completes at least 10
credits per semester, the student may not be in residence in the law
school program for more than 7 semesters; if a part-time student
successfully completes at least 8 credits per semester the student
may be in residence in the law school for more than 9 semesters.
Students should also be aware that summer terms in which the student
successfully completes at least 5 credits for full-time students, or
4 credits for part-time students, will result in 7.5 weeks of
residency credit. No residency credit is awarded for an unsuccessful
semester, term or period of study.
Weekend Programs Do Not Satisfy Eligibility Requirements. Since Rule
520.3(e) requires part-time students to have classes scheduled at
least 3 days per week, prospective bar exam applicants should be
aware that pursuing a weekend program of study WILL NOT qualify an
individual to sit for the New York bar examination.
Proof of Compliance Required for Graduates of ABA Approved Law
Schools. Applicants qualifying to sit for the bar examination under
Section 520.3 must file with the Board either (a) an original and
official transcript from their law school with date of graduation or
(b) a completed Certificate of Law School Attendance Form, together
with the completed Specimen of Applicant’s Handwriting Form no later
than February 1st for the February exam and no later than June 15
for the July exam.
CORRESPONDENCE STUDY, SELF-STUDY, ON-LINE
LAW DEGREES
Law degrees obtained by way of correspondence, external, internet or
self study do not qualify an individual to take the New York bar
examination.