What are the requirements for admission to practice law in California?
In general, you must: • Be at least 18 years old. • Complete two years of undergraduate college work or pass certain equivalency tests. • Graduate from a State Bar-accredited or American Bar Association-approved law school, complete four years of study at an unaccredited or correspondence law school, spend four years studying law in a law office/judge’s chambers program, or complete a study program that combines these various methods. • Register with the State Bar within 90 days of beginning your law studies. • Pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination. Law students who successfully complete their first year at certain law schools are generally exempt from this requirement (see #7). • Receive a positive “moral character” determination. • Pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (see #9) and the California Bar Examination (see #10). • Provide a Social Security number, unless you are exempt (see #12). • Comply with any California court-ordered child or family suppo
