International Applicants
The University at Buffalo is committed to international students, with more than 5,000 students from more than 100 countries represented on our beautiful campus located in a welcoming and safe community.
The School of Law shares this commitment, and we welcome students from wide-ranging backgrounds into a vibrant community of modern legal education. We are dedicated to having a diverse student body, which makes the School of Law stronger and better able to view a changing world through a multicultural lens.
UB is among the most internationalized universities in the United States, and it provides numerous programs and services to support our diverse student body.
For Canadian Applicants
Q: What about after graduation? Where can I use my degree to practice law?
A: Completion of the J.D. program makes you eligible to sit for the bar in New York State. After successful completion, you will be authorized to practice law in New York and sit for another state's bar.
You cannot, however, use your J.D. from UB to practice Canadian law in Canada. The Canadian system has its own requirements, although you may practice New York law while in Canada if granted a permit as a foreign legal consultant.
Q: What are the requirements if I want to practice in Canada?
A: Foreign-trained lawyers who wish to practice law in Canada must apply to the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA). The NCA assesses each application and advises applicants as to what they must do to obtain a certificate of qualification. Exact requirements depend on the candidate's education and professional qualifications, and include a certain number of credits that candidates must complete. Candidates can complete these requirements either by writing challenge exams or taking courses in a Canadian law school.
Once the foreign-trained lawyer has completed all their challenge exams and/or coursework, they receive their Certificate of Qualification from the NCA. The certificate testifies that the applicant has had education and training equivalent to those of graduates from an approved Canadian law school.
Upon obtaining a Certificate of Qualification, a foreign-trained lawyer must complete the bar admission requirements for the province in which they plan to practice, on the same basis as a graduate from an approved Canadian law school.
In Ontario, foreign-trained lawyers must complete the licensing process of the Law Society of Upper Canada, which includes writing the barrister licensing exam, writing the solicitor licensing exam, and attending a Skills and Professional Responsibility program. After these elements are complete, the foreign-trained lawyer will either have to article for 10 months, be granted an articling abridgement, or immediately be eligible to be called to the bar in Ontario.