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The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, USA administers admission to the New York Bar. As per the Rules of the Court of Appeals, admission to the New York Bar is conducted for four departments. The New York Bar Exam for Indian Lawyers has three different criteria or possibilities; Using your Indian Law degree to appear for the Bar Examination under Section 520.6, to study law in a foreign country; the applicant must have taken admission in any law school out the USA, where the jurisprudence depends on the principles of English Common Law; and the candidate must possess an LL.M degree to become eligible for the New York Bar exam and fulfil other requirements.
The Admission of Attorneys and Counsellors at Law is mentioned in Section 520.6 of the Rules of the Court of Appeals, which highlights the eligibility requirements for candidates who wish to prepare for the New York Bar exam. This article will discuss all the stages of how Indian Lawyers can prepare for the New York Bar examinations.
| Exam Name | New York Bar Exam |
| Conducting Body | Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, USA |
| Mode of Exam | Paper and in-person examination |
| Medium of Exam | English |
| Application Fee | Section 520.4 – $250 (Law Office Study)Section 520.6 – $750 (Study of Law in Foreign Country) |
| Location | New York, USA |
| Official Website | https://www.nybarexam.org/ |
This Blog Includes:
What is the New York Bar Examination?
The New York Bar examination contains the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), which is a national-level test conducted in all the jurisdictions where the UBE is adopted. UBE is administered and graded uniformly and the results or scores can be transferred to other jurisdictions which are part of the UBE. the Uniform Bar Exam is a paper and in-person examination and consists of various examinations such as the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).
In the UPT, candidates are given the option to use their own laptops with the Board designated word processing software, for security purposes, and candidates have to type responses to MEE and MPT questions. Candidates will have to record their answers to the MBE questions on the OMR sheet or the Scantron sheet, provided by the Board. Candidates must attend all the sections of the UBE to score which is acceptable to other UBE jurisdictions.
Also read – Study in USA for Indian Students
How Can an Indian Lawyer Appear for the New York Bar Examination?
For Indian Lawyers to appear for the New York Bar exam, there is a list of documents which they need to provide during the application process. The New York Bar examination eligibility criteria will be based on the subsection of Rule 520, where documents required to submit to the Board are mentioned. Candidates must ensure that they submit all the required documents for the New York Bar exam before 1st February for the February exam and before 15th June of the June examination to the Board.
Section 520.4 Law Office Study
Candidates falling in this category will have to submit three (3) documents to the Board; their Affidavit of Law Office Study; a copy of the Certificate of Commencement of Clerkship filed with the Office 5 of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals; and an affidavit from the attorney under whom you worked as a clerk, after successfully completing the required weeks of law office study as outlined in an eligibility letter from the Board.
Section 520.6 Study of Law in a Foreign Country
Candidates who want to study law in a foreign country, especially Indians in the USE, will have to visit the Foreign Legal Education webpage of the Board’s website where details about how to qualify for the UBC exam are provided. Indian Lawyers who want to appear for the New York bar exam must follow all the instructions and deadlines before paying the application fee for the exam. The application fee for foreign nationals is $750, which is non-refundable.
How to Apply for The New York Bar Exam or UBE?
Indian Lawyers who want to practice in the New York Bar will have to appear for the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). candidates have to appear for the UBE via the Application Services Portal. After visiting the portal, applicants will have to look for the link in the box named ‘New York Bar Examination’ on the website and begin the UBE registration process. While filling out the UBE registration form, candidates must remember the following information.
Last Date to Apply for the UBE
The UBE is conducted two times annually; February and July. To appear for the UBE February examination, candidates must fill out their applications during the month of November, and during the month of April for the July examination. Candidates will have to complete the entire application process online and pay the application fee via Visa or Mastercard credit card. Your application will not be accepted if you miss out the deadline. Check the table below for more clarification.
| Examination Months | Last Date to Apply |
| February | 1st November to 30th November |
| July | 1st April to 30th April |
UBC Application Fee
The New York State Legislature has fixed the application fee for the UBE. Neither the Board nor the Court of Appeals has the authority to make changes in the UBC application fee, as it is fixed by the legislature. Check the table below to understand the UBC application fee.
| Categories | Application Fee |
| Section 520.3 (JD received from an ABA-approved law school) | $250 (INR 20.6K) |
| Section 520.4 (Law Office Study) | $250 (INR 20.6K) |
| Section 520.5 (Unapproved Law Study) | $250 (INR 20.6K) |
| Section 520.6 (Study of Law in a Foreign Country) | $750 (INR 61.8K) |
| Section 520.17 (Pro Bono Scholars Programs) | $250 (INR 20.6K) |
Also read – New York University: Ranking, Fees, Eligibility, Admissions
Preparation Tips for New York Bar Exam
Indian lawyers appearing for the New York Bar exam must ensure that they prepare efficiently for this exam. Candidates need to read the course materials and prepare practice questions to get ready for the UBC exam. Since the questions on the UBC exam are more difficult than the ones at the end of the video segments, watching the New York Law exam videos alone won’t help you pass the test.
The New York Bar exam is an open-book exam, that can be very challenging a lot of times. Candidates will not be able to do their research for answers during the exam due to lack of time. Therefore, it is necessary for you to prepare for the UBC by sample paper given below and studying the Course Materials. Candidates who will be appearing for the New York Bar exam can prepare from the sample paper given below.
| Activity | Sample Paper |
| New York Bar Exam | Click Here |
FAQs
The New York Bar exam is conducted two times a year; February and June. Candidates who want to appear for the February exam must apply from 1st to 30th November, and candidates who want to take the June exam must apply within the month of April.
Anyone who fulfils the eligibility criteria set up by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, USA, can appear for the New York Bar exam.
As per Section 520.6 (Study of Law in a Foreign Country), all the candidates outside the USA, will have to pay $750 as the application fee for the New York Bar exam. Also, this payment is non-refundable.
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