Can a Canadian JD work in California? Forum

[Mediana]

Hi all,

I am a long time lurker on TLS' forums, but just recently decided to register and post a question.

Anyway, I recently graduated from UBC with a BA in International Relations (CGPA 3.8 ) and decided to spend the summer doing a part-time, legal internship abroad to help me determine whether I would enjoy working in a legal setting prior to committing to law school. I'm currently working in a small office in the San Francisco Bay Area and have found the experience surprisingly interesting/rewarding: I could definitely see myself doing this as a career. I am also presently pursuing LSAT prep with the goal of taking the LSAT in December (I believe this to be a good strategy since the part-time work commitment keeps me on my toes).

The issue is this: I am completely in love with California and would love to work in the Bay Area some day as an in-house attorney (hopefully). However, the cost of tuition to attend law school in the States is much, much greater than in Canada and, frankly, probably a bit too rich for my blood (not to mention the relative risks associated with trying to find employment in an overly saturated market)... I believe with a good deal of effort, I would be able to get into UBC's JD program (which is more affordable for me), but I believe that completing a Canadian law degree would limit me to practicing as an attorney in Canada (and thus not realize my dream of eventually living and working in California).

Recently, I've been doing research into LLM programs at T14 American law schools and was wondering if a decision to complete the LLM postgraduate degree at a place like UC Berkeley or Stanford could provide me with networking opportunities that could help me locate a job after the one year-program ended? Also, I am aware that I would have to take the California Bar exam prior to working in California, but would I even be eligible to sit for the bar given that I hold a Canadian JD...?

I know this perhaps shouldn't be a priority at this time and that I ought to "just focus on LSAT prep", but I'd just like to know whether I ought to consider applying to American law schools for my JD? TL;DR: Do you need to go to a US law school to practice law in the states and, if so, can a Canadian JD with an American LLM (post-doc) practice as an attorney in the state of California?

Many thanks!

[A. Nony Mouse]

Hey there - the legal employment forum is reserved for current law student or law school grads, and we also don't allow duplicate threads, so I'm going to lock this. Thanks.