A law school graduate cannot practice law until he or she is licensed, and a license requires bar admission. To get a general idea of the bar admission process, read this one page overview.
Note that bar admission includes consideration of a bar applicant's character and
moral fitness for practice. It is important for law school applicants
and students to be familiar the bar admission requirements of the
state(s) in which they intend to practice.
Note: As of 2009, the following states had some registration requirement or option for law students: Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas. Depending on a state's rules, students may be able to save a significant amount of time or money by registering for the bar exam during the first or second year of law school.
Being admitted to a state's bar does not mean that a lawyer is automatically admitted to the federal courts physically located in that state. Each federal court sets its own admission rules. For example:
Membership in voluntary bar associations is not required in order to practice law, but it often plays an important part in a lawyer's career development.
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