For a list of course descriptions and to view the projected curriculum, please see the Class Registration Information page on our website.

Bar Preparation – Suggested Courses

Course	Why Recommended?
Strategies for Bar Success	Early exposure to bar preparation and practice in bar-tested topics, as well as general tips and strategies for exam success. Of all upper level courses offered at NUSL, this course is the one that will be the most helpful for the bar exam.
· Corporations (including Agency & Partnership and Limited Liability Companies) · Evidence · Advanced Criminal Procedure	Heavily tested on the bar and/or valuable in general for a well-rounded legal practice. These courses will be covered in your commercial bar prep course, but taking them in law school makes your summer bar review a bit easier.
· Family Law · Secured Transactions · Trust and Estates · Conflict of Laws · Criminal Trial Practice	These courses are tested less frequently on the bar exam and only as essay questions, which account for 30% of the overall bar exam score. The bar tested topics also will be covered in your selected commercial bar prep course.
· Legal Research and Writing 2 · Legal Writing Workshop	These courses give you additional practice and training on written legal analysis, which is a skill you will need to use on the bar exam, especially the essay questions.

Prior to Graduation

Students should make sure that they have spoken to ASA (lawstudentaffairs@northeastern.edu) if they have any late character & fitness issues to disclose that were not disclosed on their application at the time of admission to NUSL.

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Forms & Certifications

Academic & Student Affairs can assist you with the following as you begin applications to sit for a bar exam:

• Certificate of Attendance, Law School Certificate*, or any other form confirming your degree
• Any Character & Fitness Certifications
• Handwriting Samples
• Copy of Application to NUSL

Please email your form to The Office of Academic & Student Affairs at lawstudentaffairs@northeastern.edu.

Every jurisdiction will have slightly different forms and requirements to sit for their exam.  Not every jurisdiction will require a transcript, copy of application to NUSL, and/or a handwriting sample. It is your responsibility to contact the Board of Bar Examiners in the jurisdiction you are applying to if you have any questions about the application process, your application status, and your eligibility.

Recent JD Graduates Taking the July 2023 Bar Exam

• Massachusetts Bar Exam LSC Addendum: You must submit the LSC Addendum when asked for the “Law School Certificate.” You can find the form here. Download it, and follow these steps:
  • Complete the form as indicated
  • Save the form exactly as titled- LSC Addendum
  • Save in PDF format
  • Upload in the portal where asked for a law school certificate

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JD Students and Alumni: 

All JD students and alumni applying for the Massachusetts Bar Exam do not need to submit the Law School Certificate.

As a courtesy to our students, Northeastern University School of Law submits the information on the Law School Certificate to the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners for every JD student. The Massachusetts Bar already has your Law School Certificate.

On the Massachusetts Bar Exam Application, any NUSL JD student and alumni can ignore the yes or no question on the application that asks if the Law School Certificate is enclosed.

If you planning to sit for the Massachusetts bar for the first time, please review the Admissions by Examination page on the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners webpage.

If you are planning to petition for admission to the Massachusetts Bar through an eligible UBE score, please review the Petition for Admission by UBE webpage on the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners webpage.

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LLM Students and Alumni:

Please submit the Law School Certificate to The Office of Academic & Student Affairs (lawstudentaffairs@northeastern.edu).

Forms & Certifications

The Office of Academic & Student Affairs can assist you with the following as you begin applications to sit for the NY Bar Exam:

• Certificate of Attendance
• Law School Certificate (Character & Fitness Certifications) -this is typically filled out after you pass the NY Bar Exam
• Handwriting Certification Form
• Copy of Application to NUSL

Please email all forms to lawstudentaffairs@northeastern.edu.

It is your responsibility to contact the New York Board of Law Examiners if you have any questions about the application process, your application status, and your eligibility.

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New York’s Skills Competency & Professional Values Bar Admission Requirement

Applicants to the New York Bar who began their Juris Doctor program after August 1, 2016 or who begin their Master of Laws (LL.M.) program after August 1, 2018 are required to fulfill a skills competency and professional values requirement as detailed in Section 520.18 of the New York Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law.  An applicant for admission to the New York Bar may satisfy the skills competency requirement by completing one of five pathways contained in Rule 520.18.

Pathway 1 allows an applicant to satisfy this requirement by submitting a certification from the applicant’s law school confirming that (1) the law school has developed a plan identifying and incorporating into its curriculum the skills and professional values that, in the school’s judgment, are required for its graduates’ basic competence and ethical participation in the legal profession; and (2) the applicant has acquired sufficient competency in those skills and sufficient familiarity with those values.

In order to be certified under Pathway 1 as possessing the skills and professional values required for basic competence and ethical participation in the legal profession, a Northeastern University School of Law student must:

• receive a grade of Pass, Honors, or High Honors in the required first year course Legal Skills in Social Context: Social Justice or its equivalent;
• receive a grade of Pass, Honors, or High Honors in one course of two or more credits which is certified by the School of Law as satisfying the Experiential Education Requirement set forth in American Bar Association Standard 303(a)(3);
• receive a grade of Pass, Honors, or High Honors in Professional Responsibility; and
• successfully complete the Cooperative Work requirement for graduation.

Graduates who did not begin their Juris Doctor program at Northeastern University School of Law, including graduates of the LL.M. program, must, in lieu of requirements (1) and (2) above, receive a grade of Pass, Honors, or High Honors in one or more courses comprising six or more credits that are certified by the School of Law as satisfying the Experiential Education Requirement set forth in American Bar Association Standard 303(a)(3), and satisfy requirements (3) and (4) above.

The Northeastern University School of Law Juris Doctor program requires successful completion of three cooperative (“co-op”) work semesters except for transfer students in the class of 2020 and later, who are required to complete two co-op semesters following matriculation.  Co-ops entail 15 weeks of full-time work in a legal or law-related job (a minimum of 35 hours per week).  Student work is evaluated by a supervising attorney or otherwise authorized person and co-op evaluations are included in the student’s official academic transcript. The Northeastern University School of Law Master of Laws program requires successful completion of one co-op work quarter or one alternative experiential component.

Use this link to access the LCL Bar Prep Support Group website