Advanced Standing Two-Year Juris Doctor for Internationally Trained Lawyers
If you hold a law degree from a non-U.S. jurisdiction (a J.D. or its equivalent), you may qualify for our Advanced Standing Two-Year J.D. for Internationally Trained Lawyers program.
The Advanced Standing Two-Year J.D. for Internationally Trained Lawyers is intended for students who:
- already hold a law degree from a jurisdiction outside the United States;
- and would like to earn a Juris Doctor degree from the University at Buffalo School of Law.
In this new and innovative program, students receive advanced standing, and therefore can finish the J.D. degree in just two years. Graduates are eligible to sit for the New York State bar and/or the bar exam of a different state.
Completion of the J.D. degree from the School of Law satisfies the degree requirement for eligibility to sit for the bar examination not only in New York, but in any state in the United States.
Students will complete the Advanced Standing Two-Year program in May of their second year and then sit for the July bar exam (most likely in New York). Students in the United States on an F-1 student visa are eligible to work in the United States for up to 12 months under a program called Optional Practical Training. The School of Law’s Office of Career Services helps all students connect with potential employers, and the University at Buffalo Office of International Student Services advises all students on visa procedures and assists students in obtaining the appropriate government authorization for work.
Bar admission in New York, and in all U.S. jurisdictions, involves consideration of each applicant’s character and moral fitness for the practice of law. In addition, New York now requires all applicants for bar admission to complete 50 hours of pro bono legal service. Applicants should acquaint themselves with the requirements for admission in the jurisdiction in which they intend to be licensed.