Many students pursue higher education to adequately prepare them for a career in a specific field. Some of these fields – such as law, medicine and teaching – require professional licensure to practice. Professional licensures, and the requirements thereof, are regulated by state and/or other government entities which provide legal permission to practice license-required professions only to those who have met those requirements.
To protect students from enrolling in programs that will not meet their education goals, Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations (34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v) & 34 CFR 668.43(c)) requires institutions that offer potential licensure programs to publicly disclose, per potential licensure program, a list of all states, districts, territories, and commonwealths (henceforth referred to as “jurisdictions”) for which the institution:
1) Has determined that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure or certification.
2) Has determined that its curriculum does not meet the state educational requirements for licensure or certification.
Law licensure is regulated separately by each jurisdiction.
Our Programs and Law Licensure
Cardozo School of Law is an ABA-accredited institution, where law is the only licensed profession that we prepare students for. Many of our students take the New York bar exam and hope to practice in New York State, but we have students who wish to practice in many jurisdictions within the U.S. Most of our students are in our J.D. (Juris Doctor) program, which is specifically designed to satisfy law licensure requirements.
However, some of our degree programs are not designed to fully satisfy law licensure requirements while others are not designed for those entering the legal profession. For example, our in-person and online LL.M. programs, alone, do not qualify someone to practice law (i.e. become licensed) in the United States. Additionally, our online M.S.L. in Labor and Employment Law is designed exclusively for non-lawyers who work in HR, compliance, operations, or management. Only our J.D. program is specifically designed to satisfy U.S. law licensure requirements.
Our programs are not designed to qualify one to practice law in other countries.
A Basic Overview of U.S. Law Licensure
Generally, the path to law licensure can be broken down into these steps:
- Qualify to sit for a jurisdiction’s bar exam by:
- Completing pre-legal education (e.g. an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university or its international equivalent), specific requirements of which may vary by state.
- Passing the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
- Some ABA-accredited schools, such as Cardozo, now accept the JD-Next exam in place of the LSAT or GRE.
- Gaining admission to an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school.
- Completing an in-person law degree at an ABA accredited law school, which a jurisdiction recognizes as meeting their specific degree requirements. This law degree is most often the J.D.
- Few jurisdictions allow students from non-ABA accredited or online schools to sit for the bar exam.
- Few jurisdictions allow one to sit for the bar exam on an apprenticeship model or a combination of legal education and legal work.
- Sit for and pass the jurisdiction’s bar exam.
- Sit for and pass a Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE).
- Undergo and pass a Character and Fitness examination by the jurisdiction’s bar examiners. Different jurisdictions may focus on different aspects and may need to be conducted either before or after sitting for the bar exam.
- The categories of issues noted by the National Conference of Bar Examiners can be found in their Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements.
- Fulfill any additional jurisdiction-specific requirements such as pro bono work, additional exams, skills and competency requirements, etc.
- Complete ongoing Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and abide by all rules of the bar. Some CLE may be required prior to bar admission and is commonly required each year after admission.
Cardozo J.D. and Law Licensure, by Jurisdiction
The following chart discloses whether a Cardozo J.D. degree will meet the educational requirements of each jurisdiction. An underlying assumption is that all Cardozo J.D. students possess a “baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university or its international equivalent,” as is required in our admission criteria. The following disclosures are not guarantees of law licensure, as bar admission involves numerous additional steps (see above), nor do they account for any changes in law or regulation after this disclosure has been made. This chart is based on information provided by the states to the National Conference of Bar Examiners in the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements.