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Graduates of Foreign Law Schools

TENNESSEE BOARD OF LAW EXAMINERS CONTACT INFORMATION

Tennessee Board of Law Examiners

Foreign-Educated Applicants may qualify for admission by examination or transferred UBE score if all eligibility requirements are met. There are three paths for admission based on foreign legal education. The first path found in Rule 7, § 7.01(a), requires you to have foreign education that is substantially equivalent to the educational requirements for applicants educated in the United States. Two other paths are found in Rule 7, § 7.01(b), which provides an alternative to the education only provisions of § 7.01(a).

FOR ALL APPLICANTS WHO HAVE RECEIVED THEIR LEGAL EDUCATION OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES: With your application, you must include the “Foreign-Education Option Election” form, which you can access by clicking the Forms link at the end of this page, to indicate which whether you are seeking qualification under § 7.01(a), § 7.01(b)(1), or § 7.01(b)(2), as explained below.

  • PATH 1 – § 7.01(a): Foreign Education is “Substantially Equivalent” to a U.S. Bachelor’s Degree or higher and a J.D. Degree: 
    • You must satisfy the Board that your undergraduate education and foreign legal education were substantially equivalent to the requirements of Sections 2.01 and 2.02 of Rule 7 of the Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court. This means that your foreign education degree(s) must be substantially equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree or higher and a Juris Doctorate degree, but this does not necessarily mean that two separate foreign-earned degrees are required. You must earn a degree or degrees that result in education that is substantially equivalent to both a U.S. Bachelor’s Degree plus a Juris Doctorate Degree. The same course of study cannot be used to satisfy the requirements of both the U.S. Bachelor’s Degree and the U.S. Juris Doctorate Degree.
    • You must submit a comprehensive evaluation of your foreign education that includes a course-by-course evaluation, determination of equivalency, plus authentication of transcripts (the “Foreign-Education Report”) from a Credential Evaluation Service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (www.naces.org). The Foreign-Education Report must be sent directly to the Board of Law Examiners by the company performing the evaluation. See Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7 § 7.01(c). 
    • NOTE: If you are licensed in a foreign jurisdiction, you must comply with the provisions below.
  • PATH 2 – § 7.01(b) Foreign Education is not “Substantially Equivalent” but have a Law Degree from a Foreign Jurisdiction.
  • Option 1 – § 7.01(b)(1):
    • You must have:
      • completed a course of study in and graduated from an accredited law school in a foreign jurisdiction; and
      • be admitted to practice law in a U.S. or foreign jurisdiction and have practiced law in that jurisdiction for five of the eight years prior to your application, as explained further below; and   
      • You must have been engaged in the active practice of law in the U.S. or foreign jurisdiction, as defined in section 5.01(c) of Rule 7, for at least five of the eight years prior to applying for admission to the Tennessee bar.
      • Filing Requirements:
        • You must submit a comprehensive evaluation of your foreign education that includes a course-by-course evaluation, determination of equivalency, plus authentication of transcripts (the “Foreign-Education Report”) from a Credential Evaluation Service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (www.naces.org). The Foreign-Education Report must be sent directly to the Board of Law Examiners by the company performing the evaluation. See Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7 § 7.01(c). 
        • If you are licensed in a foreign jurisdiction, you must file with your application:
          • A certified copy of the record or license of the court which admitted you to practice in such country; and
          • At least three (3) letters from attorneys or judges in such country certifying that you are in good standing at that bar, or were in good standing at that bar when you left that country.
          • Documents provided to the Board of Law Examiners must be translated to English by a certified translator with a copy of the original text provided.
        • For each U.S. jurisdiction in which you are admitted, you must provide a Certificate of Admission to the highest court of the jurisdiction and a Certificate of Good Standing with disciplinary history. This may be one document or two, depending on the jurisdiction issuing the Certificates.
        • To document time in practice, file with your application a completed Affidavit of Past Practice for U.S. Practice and/or the Affidavit of Foreign Practice; these are found by clicking the link for Forms at the end of this page.
    • Option 2 – § 7.01(b)(2):
      • You must have completed a course of study in and graduated from an accredited law school in a foreign jurisdiction; and
      • You must have an LL.M. Degree. You must have been awarded, by a law school fully accredited by the ABA or a Tennessee law school approved by the Board under section 2.03 of Rule 7, an LL.M. Degree which must:
        • be a “Traditional LL. M.” or an LL. M. in American Law;
        • teach the courses for the LL.M. Degree in English; and
        • be taught and attended by applicant on site at the ABA-accredited or Tennessee-approved law school in the United States or its territories; distance learning of any kind is not permitted. 
        • Filing Requirements:
          • You must submit a comprehensive evaluation of your foreign education that includes a course-by-course evaluation, determination of equivalency, plus authentication of transcripts (the “Foreign-Education Report”) from a Credential Evaluation Service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (www.naces.org). The Foreign-Education Report must be sent directly to the Board of Law Examiners by the company performing the evaluation. See Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7 § 7.01(c). 
          • The law school must provide certification that you received a qualifying LL.M. by providing the Legal Studies in U.S. for Foreign-Educated LL.M. Verification, available by clicking the Forms link below, directly to the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. You must complete the first page of the form, have it notarized and send it to your U.S. law school. 

    Documentation Requirements for all Applicants Admitted in a Jurisdiction other than in the United States: For any applicant, whether or not educated outside the United States, who is licensed to practice law in a jurisdiction other than in the United States, you must furnish with your application the following:

    • A certified copy of the record or license of the court which admitted you to practice in such country; and
    • At least three (3) letters from attorneys or judges in such country certifying that you are in good standing at that bar, or were in good standing at that bar when you left that country.
    • Documents provided to the Board of Law Examiners must be translated to English by a certified translator with a copy of the original text provided.

    TO ACCESS FORMS, CLICK HERE