7 steps to becoming a lawyer in the United States (webinar)
Unlike in our country, a lawyer in the United States of America is a lawyer who has received a qualification to practice law and provides advice or representation in court cases.
The procedure for obtaining the status of a lawyer on the example of Maryland was discussed by Olena Kalashnyk, the UNBA representative in this country, during the webinar of the «Access to the Legal Profession Abroad» series.
She said that studying to become a lawyer takes about seven years. A bachelor's degree (4 years of study) is required to graduate from law school and obtain a J.D. degree, which requires another three years of study. However, if a foreign lawyer confirms his or her education in the United States, the study time may be reduced by 4 years. In other words, with a confirmed education abroad, only 3 years of law school will remain. In some cases, studying at an LLM program may be sufficient.
In Maryland, there are 7 steps to becoming a lawyer:
1. Obtaining a bachelor's degree. The state's Board of Law Examiners follows the American Bar Association (ABA) requirements for the pre-law education needed to enter an ABA-approved law school. To begin the process of becoming a lawyer, a person must earn a bachelor's degree from an accredited university.
2. Initial professional experience. After completing undergraduate studies, a person may consider gaining initial work experience in the legal field. Many positions, such as paralegal, legal assistant, or secretary, are available to graduates with the appropriate degrees. These positions allow an individual to familiarize themselves with the work environment of lawyers, gain valuable skills, and decide if they are interested in pursuing a legal career.
3. LSAT test. To be admitted to an ABA-approved law school, a person must first take a paid admission test that lasts half a day and is administered four times a year at testing centers around the world (online/offline). The LSAT is a challenging exam of situational analysis and critical thinking skills. The LSAT website offers free materials for test takers to help them prepare for the exam, including sample questions with answers and explanations.
4. Attending law school. After the LSAT, an individual may apply to law schools in Maryland or other states. Law schools may consider an individual's undergraduate GPA, LSAT scores, TOEFL scores, professional experience, and volunteer experience in determining admission status. Law schools are competitive, but there are many across the country that can be admitted without perfect LSAT scores. In school, an individual can spend time learning about the legal profession and gaining hands-on experience with legal matters. Many schools focus on basic legal theory during the first year and then cover more advanced topics in the following year. Often the last semester is devoted to preparing for the bar exam.
Also, the State Board of Legal Examiners has the discretion to waive the standard educational requirement for applicants who receive their first law degree (J.D. or equivalent) from a law school outside the United States and those who are admitted to practice law in a jurisdiction outside the United States and have earned a Master of Laws (LLM) from an American Bar Association accredited law school.
5. The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). Next, you must pass an exam that tests your knowledge of state and federal law, case law, administrative law, professional responsibility, and ethics. The UBE consists of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). The MBE lasts six hours and consists of 200 multiple-choice questions. The MPT consists of two 90-minute skill-based exams. The MEE consists of six 30-minute essays. In addition, Maryland has the MPRE (Professional Responsibility Examination), a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice exam administered three times a year.
6. Oath of office. No later than 24 months after the Court of Appeals reviews the board's report on the examination results, the person must be sworn in at an open court hearing in the Court of Appeals of Maryland to be licensed to practice in the state. The person must pay a fee to the clerk of the court of appeals for the production of a certificate of admission to the bar, which he or she will receive after the ceremony. Once admitted to the bar, a person may practice law anywhere in Maryland.
7. Certification in a legal specialty. Many firms give preference to those who are certified in a legal specialty, such as healthcare law, real estate law, civil, criminal and family law, as well as social security disability advocacy, etc.
Once a lawyer has decided on a field of work, he or she can be hired by a company or work as a self-employed lawyer.
Regardless of what type of legal specialty a person chooses, many employers and clients expect attorneys to be experts in that area. You can find job openings on popular job search sites in the United States or attend networking events.
© 2026 Unba.org.ua Всі права захищені
"Національна Асоціація Адвокатів України". Передрук та інше використання матеріалів, що розміщені на даному веб-сайті дозволяється за умови посилання на джерело. Інтернет-видання та засоби масової інформації можуть використовувати матеріали сайту, розміщувати відео з офіційного веб-сайту Національної Асоціації Адвокатів України на власних веб-сторінках, за умови гіперпосилання на офіційний веб-сайт Національної Асоціації Адвокатів України. Заборонено передрук та використання матеріалів, у яких міститься посилання на інші інтернет-видання та засоби масової інформації. Матеріали позначені міткою "Реклама", публікуються на правах реклами.