I passed the bar exam in Louisiana in July 2018, and have practiced law in Louisiana since admission to the bar in October 2018. My wife was born and raised in Chicago and her family still lives there. We plan to move to Chicago to practice law in the next year or two. Louisiana does not have an admission by motion rule, so this is new to me. The law firm I work at is well-regarded in the region, and I have always been in good standing with the Louisiana bar. In October, I will have practiced for 3 years; therefore, I would plan to file for admission via Rule 705 in October 2021. Has anyone waived into the Illinois Bar via the Admission by Motion Rule 705? What was the process like? Is it basically a guarantee that you will be admitted if you file the motion and meet the stated requirements?
Even if this is a possibility, I have a few other considerations that I'm hoping someone can weigh in on.
(1) Louisiana's bar exam is very different than the UBE. It consists of 21 hours of testing over three days--7 hours of testing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each day has one 3-hour exam and two 2-hour exams. Each exam is mostly essay with a 30 minute multiple choice component. It sucks. Louisiana has no reciprocity with any state. Our law is generally regarded as being very different than the other 49 states'; however, in reality it's very similar. Some terminology is different and property law is quite different. I did well in common law property (taken in addition to Louisiana civil law property) in law school if that matters. Any thoughts as to whether these differences will affect my application?
(2) The firm I work at is effectively "big law" in Louisiana. Louisiana doesn't really have "big law" but we're as close as it gets. I'm fortunate to work on high-profile, exciting cases with top-notch clients. I'd like to try biglaw for a year or two in Chicago. Would waiving into the bar as opposed to taking the UBE weigh against me in recruiting?
Thanks for your help.
Admission by Motion--Illinois Forum
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