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I'm considering taking the February Bar Exam in California (studying mostly during winter break and the into the first few weeks of my semester 3L year). I want to be able to get this out of the way (hopefully) so I can focus on preparing for the NY Bar Exam during the summer.

Are there any restraints to taking the CA bar while I'm still in law school?

You must have your JD (or have done the apprenticeship thing) before sitting for the Bar.

There are a couple of states that let you do it early (I knew someone who did that in Texas) but I think most don't. California probably doesn't, but check their state bar webpage.

Here's a link to the requirements to take CA Bar Exam: http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Req ... /Education

Seems like you would need all 3 years at a law school in order to take CA:

Most people go to law school before becoming an attorney, but it isn’t the only way to get a legal education. Applicants can also study in a law office or with a judge. Here are all the options:

Three or four years of study at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA)
Four years of study at a State Bar-registered, fixed-facility law school
Four years of study with a minimum of 864 hours of preparation at a registered unaccredited distance-learning or correspondence law school
Four years of study under the supervision of a state judge or attorney
A combination of these programs

It looks like those requirements are what is required to be admitted to the state bar, but not to sit for the bar exam itself. You may be able to sit without having graduated yet.

For ny at least i know of a couple ppl who had foreign llb take the bar after their llm program but before they even started their jd. I also know of one person who had a llb, did an llm and then took the cali bar durimg the summer after 2L.

From the California bar website, about applying for the exam:

Applicants must either be graduates of law schools approved by the American Bar Association or accredited by the Committee; or have completed four years in an ABA or Committee accredited law school or in a law school registered with the Committee; in a law office; in a judge's chambers; or by some combination of these methods; or meet the requirements for legal education in a foreign country; and have established exemption from the First-Year Law Students' Examination.

I wonder if the "completed four years" thing lets part-time students take it on a slightly different schedule? Not sure how that works.

in case anyone's curious, Texas says about ability to sit for the exam:

study of law in an approved law school or schools by satisfying all requirements for graduation with a J.D. degree or its
equivalent, except for not more than four semester hours or its equivalent in quarter hours; provided, however, that no person shall be
licensed to practice law until graduation or satisfaction of all requirements for graduation, unless specifically excepted hereunder. If
an Applicant under this subsection has not graduated with a J.D. degree or satisfied all requirements for graduation within two years from the date that all parts of the bar examination are satisfactorily completed, the Applicant’s examination scores shall be void.

Pro Bono applicants can take early

happyhour1122 wrote:Pro Bono applicants can take early

That's NY and you have to be in a pro bono scholar program.