29/9/2026
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If you have no ABA-Accredited legal education: Where you sit the bar exam can make a difference!
The New York Law Course (NYLC) & The New York Law Exam (NYLE)
NYLE Study Strategy - Practice Tests & Questions
The Future of the Legal Profession: A Blue Ocean Perspective
My Strategy for passing the UBE
I predicted many years ago that demand for attorneys admitted across multiple jurisdictions (and skilled across multiple professional disciplines - think of the current explosion of demand for "unicorn" Legal Engineers!) was likely to increase dramatically.
I foresee demand continuing to be driven by increased global regulatory complexity combined with client expectations for attorneys to deliver more value at speed.
For example:
Where a global client needs to comply or is in breach of biometric privacy laws in your foreign-country, as well as across both Illinois and New York, a foreign-qualified privacy attorney already admitted in all three legal jurisdictions is in a unique position to deliver value without the additional time and costs assoociated with retaining outside counsel.
An attorney's ability to competently deliver value across multiple jurisidictions is increasingly being enabled by legal technology solutions (including both AI and advanced legal automation).
After passing the July 2025 Illinois (IL) UBE with a score high enough for admission in any UBE jurisdiction, I was admitted to the IL bar on November 5, 2025.
Depending on the UBE score you attain, there is potential for admission to a small number of other US State bars (without the need for additional study, if you don't have an ABA -accredited J.D. or LL.M.), and potentially many more [38 State Bars have adopted the UBE + DC], if additional study is undertaken before the UBE score expires.
As New York does not require ABA accredited education, my strategy was to proceed to transfer my IL UBE score to New York, which has the same cut-off score (266) as IL.
In sum, I do feel a great level of appreciation and gratitude that this path for foreign lawyer admission to the NY bar exists.
It is important to seek admission via UBE Score transfer quickly, as time can be lost in the process of meeting the many and varied additional requirements for admission above and beyond passing the bar exam.
These may include passing the MPRE, the state specific bar exam (if there is one - such as the NYLC and NYLE for New York), completing 50+ Pro Bono hours (required for NY), character & fitness clearance, etc.
Generally you need to transfer your UBE Score within 3 years from the date you sit the bar exam.
As a rule, the majority of US States require all applicants for admission to have a minimum J.D. or an LL.M. from an ABA-accredited university.
Other paths to admission, such as Admission by Motion do exist (I will not deal with these here).
Admission by Motion generally requires a minimum period of legal practice as an Attorney in the USA.
By way of commentary (you need to conduct your own research on this point).
After my habitually deep due diligence, I concluded that the UBE exam statistics show a higher average MBE score and a higher overall pass rate for the IL UBE than the average and overall pass rates for the NY UBE.
Further, if you are a foreign-educated lawyer (with no formal US legal education), you need to be aware that not all UBE Scores are equally transferable.
For example: IL UBE v. NY UBE
It appears, that a foreign-educated lawyer can transfer a UBE score from IL to NY, but may not be able to transfer a UBE score from NY to IL.
In fact, IL may refuse the UBE Score transfer and insist that you sit the UBE a second time in IL.
Therefore, if you plan to seek admission in both IL and NY, the superior strategy is to apply to be eligible to sit the UBE in Illinois, and then transfer your UBE score to New York.
The one cautionary note is that IL does not review the examinees who are close to passing to provide them with a second chance to pass, whereas NY may provide a second chance.
https://www.nybarexam.org/Content/CourseMaterials.htm
Given the speciality of the NYLE, there are not many dedicated study resources available.
After some research, I discovered the free and paid NYLE practice questions provided by ...
Why WHJ • NYLE Prep?
NYLE Practice Tests & Packages — Done Right
Build speed and accuracy with full-length, retakable NYLE practice questions. Clear explanations. Mapped to tested topics.
"Use our free NYLE Practice Questions to help you prepare for the New York Law Exam. The questions on this page were prepared to help you comprehend the outline that BOLE created. However, the New York Law Exam tests in a variety of ways, including hypotheticals. To work with hypotheticals on New York law and full practice question sets, explore our NYLE practice tests and products!"
I have made some predictions for the Future of the Legal Profession (for more detail please read my Xmas 2018 Legal Business World article entitled "Charting the Future of the Legal Profession: A Blue Ocean Perspective”.
In sum, back in 2018 I predicted that multi-disciplinary, legal tech savvy, multi-jurisdictional lawyers will thrive and be able to deliver more for less.
My vision is to deliver accessible and affordable digital legal services across multiple jurisdictions.
The only way to be able to do this properly (without breaching Unauthorized Practice of Law rules & regulations) is to gain admission to the legal profession in as many jurisdictions as possible.
I share my strategy for passing the IL UBE here.
I hope my above notes have been helpful.
Please consider the following
“If some Australian lawyer who started from scratch and was way out of his depth having never formally studied US law can pass both the CA Bar and the UBE, then I should be able to pass as well. It's just a matter of being flexible enough to adapt my approach to find what works for me!”
What the Finish Line looks like ...
File Note dated Friday 28 August, 2026:
I am scheduled to remotely attend the 3rd District of the Supreme Court of New York Admission Ceremony via Youtube
A few days before the ceremony, I completed the Attorney registration process and was assigned my NY Bar Number.
Now that my admission paperwork has been processed, you can search for my active New York Attorney Licensure Status using my full name James Douglas Ford via the NY Attorney Search page.
Hashtags:
#NYBar #BarExamStrategy #PassedtheBar #MTYLT
Social Sharing Image: Courtesy of Andrew Nussbaum on Unsplash
Credits: This blog article was written by James D. Ford Esq., GAICD CIPP/US CC | Principal Solicitor, Blue Ocean Law Group℠.
Important Notice:
This blog article is intended for general interest + information only.
To the extent this article is deemed advertising or solicitation, it is hereby identified as such.
It is not intended to constitute legal advice; the statements made are opinions about general situations, and they are not a substitute for advice as to any specific matter.
We recommend you always consult a lawyer for legal advice specifically tailored to your needs & circumstances.
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