Qualifying international applicants may apply to take the lawyer bar examination or to be licensed as house counsel or foreign law consultant. CA Bar accepts applicants with foreign licenses.You do not need a JD or LLM. Applicants don't have to provide proof of citizenship or residency, but if you are a foreign attorney, you may not take the Attorneys' Examination. My understanding is that foreign lawyers from a common law country can take the bar exams in Washington state based on the information below. 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. Washington, D.C. is the jurisdiction closest to Scalia Law that allows foreign trained attorneys to sit for the bar examination. 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. If you are a qualified lawyer in your home jurisdiction, you can sit for the California Bar Exam.