Queen’s University Belfast has a long history of international students studying law with us. Upon completion of their studies, some students choose to stay and practice in the UK or Ireland whilst others return to their home country or other juristictions to embark on their legal careers.

UK
The Juris Doctor qualification is a recognised Qualifying Law degree for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Australia
Applicants interested in practicing law in Australia, must first have their qualifications assessed. They are then provided with directions as to what further steps are required to meet the local requirements for admission. Once these steps are completed, they follow similar procedures for admission as local applicants. For the Uniform Principles for Assessing Qualifications of Overseas Applicants for Admission to the Australian Legal Profession (June 2011), see  http://www.lpab.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/admission-overseas-lawyers/assessment-skills-and-qualifications.aspx

Canada
To practise law in Canada, graduates who have obtained a law degree in another country must first apply to the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) to have their legal education credentials evaluated in order to obtain a Certificate of Qualification before they seek entrance to a Bar in Canada.

Upon review of your completed application, the NCA assesses the qualification of individuals with legal qualifications obtained outside of Canada who wish to be admitted to a common law bar in Canada.  Accreditation is decided on an individual basis, taking into account the individual’s education (this includes the quality of the grades attained during your degree) and professional background.

After reviewing an application, the NCA will issue their findings to the applicant, listing the subjects and/or legal education required to ensure that the applicant’s legal education and training is comparable to that provided by an approved Canadian law school.

Most law societies in Canada accept the NCA's Certificate of Qualification for entry to their bar admissions process.  Additional requirements for the Canadian Bar are determined by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) for all provinces except Quebec.

For more information, see Application Form for Evaluation of Legal Credentials - National Committee on Accreditation.

For information on specific provinces,

• see New Admissions – The Law Society of British Columbia (BC)
• Prerequisites for Admissions to Law Society of Ontario https://www.lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/prerequisites-for-admission

Hong Kong
Individuals who wish to be admitted to the Hong Kong Bar, should read the following: Admission & Registration – Law Society of Hong Kong.

USA
The educational requirements vary from state to state and are subject to change.  Information on the individual state bar associations can be found at http://www.abanet.org/legaled/baradmissions/bar.html

Under the present regulations (which are subject to change), students can sit the New York Bar Exam if you have a foreign equivalent of an American Bar Association-approved JD, such as the JD at QUB.

For further information, see New York State Board of Law Examiners Foreign Legal Education requirements which includes a Request for Evaluation of Foreign Academic Credentials Form.

 For practice in California, see Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California.