NURSE ATTORNEY from PHILIPPINES to USA

Have you passed the NCLEX and the Bar?

hello..I am a nurse attorney. I have a BSN degree from the Philippines, and my law education from the Philippines too. I have been working as an ER/TRAUMA nurse here, got my CEN (Certified ER Nurse) Certificate too.

If you go to www.calbar.ca.gov, it will give you a list of requirements for foreign lawyers to take the Bar Exams in California. Basically, if a country's laws is based on the common law, the lawyers admitted to that country's jurisdiction is allowed to take the Bar Exams in Ca. It is different for each states, example, in North Carolina (where I relocated from), foreign lawyers can take their bar exams provided they take a master's degree course, likewise, New York requires a little bit more of education/certification (but not much).

California, however requires the foreign lawyer to get a Certification of Good Standing from their highest court (mainly our Supreme Court) which is necessary to register for admission to take the bar exam. You have to register first (to determine your eligibility) to take the bar. Once you have been determined that you are eligible, you can then apply to take the CA Bar Exams which is held twice a year, once in Feb and the other in July.

I only did self-review since I am working as an Er nurse from two hospitals. There are so many available Bar Reviews like Barbri and Pmbr, some online, and some tutorials too online, however, the cost is kinda steep. I took the Ca July Bar Exams in Anaheim in 2008 and met some Filipino lawyers who are also taking the bar and is here thru a tourist visa only, basically for the purpose of taking the Ca Bar.

After registration in the Ca Bar Admission Office, you have to complete a 3 step process. (1) Pass the Ca Bar Exam (which is a 3-day test starting from 9 am to 5 pm) usually on the last days of Feb/July; (2) Pass the Ethics test which requires another application to test, with the passing score of 86%; (3) Apply for a Determination of Good Moral Character which takes about 6 to 8 mos, where you have to justify what you have been doing since you were 18 yrs old; After all these 3 steps are done, the Bar Admissions Office will send you a card to take your Oath and pay around S450 to S500 dollars as annual membership dues. The cost to take one bar exam for foreign lawyers is around S740 to 780 dollars.

Hope this answers your question.

lynnn/er_desertrn