Bar Membership and Registration

The Juris Doctor (J.D.) law study program when completed over a four-year period is designed to meet the requirements for licensure and admission to practice in the California State Courts and the United States Federal Courts as a California attorney.

The requirements for immediate and/or eventual licensure and admission to practice in the courts of other states may not be met by graduation from Northwestern California University. Many states within the United States, however, upon application and testing will admit an attorney to practice after he or she has passed the bar of another jurisdiction (e.g. California) and has practiced law for a period of time, usually five years.

Admission to the practice of law in the State of California is regulated by Section 6060 of the Business and Professions Code of the State of California and by the rules of the Committee of Bar Examiners. Each student is responsible to comply with the requirements established by the Committee of Bar Examiners. Those students seeking Bar eligibility are advised to obtain and read the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California which are available by writing or phoning the Committee at:

Every student seeking admission to practice law in California is required to register with the Committee of Bar Examiners within 90 days of enrollment in a law school. Those students who enroll in Northwestern California University and who wish to eventually practice law should register with the Committee of Bar Examiners within the stated time period. The student registration numbers assigned by the Committee to new students must be furnished to the University by each student within 60 days of his or her receipt thereof.

Such students, after one year of study, must take and successfully pass the State of California's "First Year Law Students' Examination". The requirement to take and successfully pass the "First Year Law Students' Examination" does not apply to transfer students who have completed the first year at an American Bar Association approved, or California State Bar accredited law school such that they were eligible for advancement into second year curriculum there.

It is important to note that individuals who do not have a U.S. Social Security Number will not be allowed by the California Committee of Bar Examiners to register as a law student, or take the California "First Year Law Students' Examination" or the California "General Bar Examination". Moreover, according to a policy of The State Bar of California, such a number is now required for admission to practice law in the State of California. The requirements can be viewed on The State Bar of California Website when you click here.

Obtaining a U.S. Social Security Number involves a process that is outlined on the Social Security Administration Website at http://www.ssa.gov/. Information regarding the process can also be obtained from the Immigration and Naturalization Website at http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm. All questions regarding the process should be directed to those agencies.