What career can I have in California with a JD from Romania? Can I be an in-house counsel?
I’m a legal resident (Green Card)
You cannot practice law in California unless you are an attorney. Acting as in-house counsel falls within the practice of law. To be an attorney in the state of California, you must take and pass the bar exam. If you have four years of practice in another state, and are in good standing, you can take a shorter exam for attorneys. If you’re not an admitted attorney, you will definitely have to take the full exam, but you should contact the State Bar of California for more specific and accurate information for foreign trained attorneys who are admitted.
If you don’t want to take the bar exam, your choices are the same as anyone else who has graduated from law school, but is not admitted to the bar – do document review or get a non legal job.
Judge Advocate
