Intellectual Property Law

Law School / Bar Exam Question?

I'm applying to law school soon, but I will NOT be going to law school in the same state that I ultimately plan on living in. So my actual question is this: If I go to law school in one state, how do I get set up to practice law in a different state after graduation? Will I need to take 2 different bar exams? If so, will it be difficult passing the bar exam in the second state since I didn't study law in that state? Also, does the MBE (multistate bar exam) play any sort of role? Thanks PS - If it makes any difference, I plan to study law in the continental U.S., but after law school I plan on moving back to Hawaii where my wife's family lives. So I'll be doing law school here on the mainland, but I want to ultimately practice in Hawaii. Also, I don't plan on going to U. of Hawaii's law school so offering that as an answer won't help much. Thanks again!

Public Comments

1. Law school just teaches you how to think like a lawyer. Schools usually don't teach a whole lot of the law of the state in which they sit. You would only have to take the bar in the state which you plan to practice. Your school will help you find out how to do that in the state you plan on sitting for the bar in.
2. A huge percentage of people in law school don't plan to practice in the state in which their law school is located. Law schools generally teach federal and "common" law, which will help you quite a bit on the MBE. Most states (possibly all??) require bar applicants to take both the MBE and some kind of state-specific exam in order to pass the bar. What you will not learn in law school is the state specific stuff, though you will get some background on the state stuff, depending on what electives you take. For example, the state I took the bar in tested state-specific agency law, state- specific family law, state constitutional law, and multiple other state-specific subjects. The fact that I had studied agency law, federal constitutional law, etc. in law school gave me some foundation on which to build an understanding of the state specific stuff, while not telling me specifically what I needed to know for the bar exam. I learned the state specific stuff during my bar review course, and so will you.