(Texas) Bar exam eligibility as a Canadian lawyer
Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2021 9:45 pm
Hi everyone, not sure if anyone will know the answer to this very specific question, but might as well give it a shot and might be helpful for others.
I am a Canadian lawyer, and I have been an associate for 2 years now (will begin my 3rd year in September). I have been considering a move to the U.S. and, specifically, to Texas as I have friends and family there. Since I will need to write the bar exam, I looked up the eligibility requirements for sitting the bar, and it looks like I need to have been practicing law for 3 of the last 5 years.
For those who don't know, in Canada, once we graduate law school, we write the bar exam, and then need to complete an "articling" period. You essentially are working as a lawyer under the guidance of a principal (a senior associate or a partner) for 10 months. After this, you get called to the bar and are officially a lawyer. While an articling student, you are called a "student-at-law", at least in Ontario where I reside.
My question is - does the 10 month articling period count towards the 3 in 5 years requirement, or does the timer start only as of the date I started as an associate? Since I am only a 2nd year associate now, this basically determines whether I can sit the Texas bar now, or if I have to wait another year.
Any information helps! Thank you.
P.S. Yes, I know I can contact the Texas Board, but in past dealings with these boards (e.g., New York), no one gives you a straight answer. If anyone here has personal experience or knowledge, that would be much more helpful.
I am a Canadian lawyer, and I have been an associate for 2 years now (will begin my 3rd year in September). I have been considering a move to the U.S. and, specifically, to Texas as I have friends and family there. Since I will need to write the bar exam, I looked up the eligibility requirements for sitting the bar, and it looks like I need to have been practicing law for 3 of the last 5 years.
For those who don't know, in Canada, once we graduate law school, we write the bar exam, and then need to complete an "articling" period. You essentially are working as a lawyer under the guidance of a principal (a senior associate or a partner) for 10 months. After this, you get called to the bar and are officially a lawyer. While an articling student, you are called a "student-at-law", at least in Ontario where I reside.
My question is - does the 10 month articling period count towards the 3 in 5 years requirement, or does the timer start only as of the date I started as an associate? Since I am only a 2nd year associate now, this basically determines whether I can sit the Texas bar now, or if I have to wait another year.
Any information helps! Thank you.
P.S. Yes, I know I can contact the Texas Board, but in past dealings with these boards (e.g., New York), no one gives you a straight answer. If anyone here has personal experience or knowledge, that would be much more helpful.