CA Bar accepts applicants with foreign licenses. You do not need a JD or LLM.There's no need to provide your foreign credentials or complete any additional U.S. law study. A New York lawyer would have to take the California bar exam to practice independently in California. You do not need a law degree to sit the California State Bar Exam. You do not even need 'a degree' at all. The vast majority of UCI Law students seek admission to the California State Bar. For example, you can sit as a "foreign attorney" applicant, if you show that you are a member in good standing in a foreign jurisdiction. I have a questions regarding New York and California States Bar Exam Requirements for foreign lawyer. The foreign law school program you completed must be "substantively equivalent" to the Juris Doctorate program at ABA approved law schools.