Foreign Legal Education Requirements

Supreme Court Rule 42 (V)(c) sets forth the requirements for admission by exam or motion for applicants whose law degrees are from foreign countries.  Among other things, the rule requires that the legal education take place in a common-law country and that the applicant be a member in good standing of the bar of that country, or of another state in the United States.  The applicant must show that the legal study was substantially equivalent in substance to an education at an ABA-accredited law school.  The rule requires submission of an affidavit and other documents and places the burden of proving compliance with the requirements of the rule on the applicant. More detailed information about the documentation required to demonstrate educational sufficiency is set forth in New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners regulation VII. Applicants with foreign legal educations should familiarize themselves with Rule 42(V)(c) and regulation VII before applying to the New Hampshire bar.