Qualifying graduates of foreign law schools may request permission from the Board to sit for the Illinois bar examination under Rule 715. The Illinois bar requires you to have practiced law in your country for 5 consecutive years of the 7 years immediately preceding the year of your application.There's no need to provide your foreign credentials or complete any additional U.S. law study. Yes, foreign lawyers can take the California Bar Exam, but there are specific requirements and conditions they must meet. Application for admission on motion is a two step process. The first step is to complete and have approved a Preliminary Questionnaire for admission on motion. The State Bar of California includes attorneys who have been educated abroad. There are some states which do allow foreign law graduates to sit for the bar exam, including New York, California, New Hampshire, Alabama, and Virginia. CA bar might be available to foreign lawyers but no other bar in the entire US will allow a foreigner to sit for a state bar exam without an LL. California generally allows foreign attorneys the opportunity for eligibility to sit the general bar.