J.D. Supplemental - Government Acceptance?

I am interested in a DL JD degree. The California schools state you if you pass the bar, you can only work in California or the FEDERAL courts.

Does that mean I would qualify to be a U.S. Department of Justice attorney? Would I be to practice in federal courts throughout the U.S. or only in California?

Thanks for you any info.

 

I have never worked for a federal agency as an attorney, so I am sticking my neck out here, but I THINK that the federal government specifies an ABA accredited JD for its job openings.
The bit about being eligible for membership in federal bars nationwide is only partly true. Every state is divided into one or more federal Districts. For example, New Mexico is a single District of New Mexico. Washington State is divided into the Western District and the Eastern District. These Districts are each the territory of a U.S. District, or trial, Court and its accompanying Bankruptcy Court. Each District Court establishes its own requirements for attorney admission before that Court. In New Mexico, the attorney must be a member in good standing of the New Mexico State Bar. In Arizona, the attorney may be a member of ANY state bar, not necessarily the Arizona State Bar. So, a California attorney can practice routinely in Arizona's federal court but not in New Mexico's federal court.
The U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal will admit any attorney who is a member of any state bar, as will the U.S. Supreme Court and all of the various specialized tribunals, such as Tax Court.
Joybaum

 

Joybaum--

Do you know where I could find a compilation or table of the rules for admission to the District Courts?

Do any specifically exclude DL grads?

Christopher

 

I think I remember seeing something like that somewhere on the ABA web site; www.abanet.org I think? You'll have to look for it though and it may not be up to date...
Joybaum

 

There is a looseleaf service that compiles the local rules of every US District Court & Court of Appeals. I can't remember the name, but any law school or federal court library should have a copy. Many of the US District courts also post their local rules on their local websites. Try www.uscourts.gov or a google search for the court you're interested in as a jumping off point.

Its not the DL part you have to worry about, its getting into the state bar in the first place. The federal courts which permit people in from "any" state ususally require a certificate of good standing from the bar and sponsorship from a currnt member (as well as the obligatory fee); where you went to school is irrelevant. But Joybaum is correct, many US district courts (usually the more popular states) only permit members of the bar from their respective states to practice; for example you must be a member of the Fla bar to practice in the 3 US district courts in Fla; same goes for California. other states vary, check the rules for the district you're interested in and then call the admissions clerk to make sure.

 

At this juncture we must acknowledge that even if someone completes a DL J.D. and is admitted to a state bar, that degree won't carry a lot of weight with employers who are besieged with applications from graduates of residential, ABA law schools. Top government agencies, local through federal, have their pick of excellent, traditionally trained applicants. Even if a DL J.D. holder is technically eligible to apply to somewhere like the Dept. of Justice, the chances of actually being hired are just about nil.

So yes, it is possible for a DL J.D. holder to be admitted to a bar (right now, California) and manage to carve out a legal practice. But as a hiring credential, a DL J.D. carries no weight with traditional legal employers.

 

Yes and no. If the candidate had other skills that they wanted, they still might hire him.

Take, for example, a guy who spends 4 years in Crystal City working as a patent examiner, and does law school by correspondence at night, then takes and passes the CA bar. I think (s)he'd have a good chance of landing a job in CA (but admittedly not nearly as good as if (s)he had gone to GWU, Georgetown, AU, or Catholic at night).

What ever happened to that group working for some environmental org as they tried to get "bar through work"?

hmmm, rereading this it seems I mostly agree with David.....