How easy or hard is it for attorneys to switch states?

[khalid]

I am currently applying to law schools and it has always been my dream to move to Seattle. Unfortunately for me UW rejected my application. Currently I'm waiting to hear back from UNC where I have a much better chance of acceptance due to my NC residency. If I go to law school at UNC how difficult would it be for me to move to Seattle and work as an attorney after graduation?

I am particularly interested in International Business Law and am working on my fluency in both German and Japanese, I have served with the Army in Iraq and am currently working as a paralegal in a corporate law firm in Winston-Salem.

[adamka]

If the law school is accredited by the American Bar Association you can usually practice law in all states. I believe there is an additional requirement to practice law in WA, but I couldn't find anything when I googled.

There are some law schools that are not ABA accredited. If you graduate from one of these schools, you might never be able to practice law in some states and there might be additional requirements to get accepted into the bar besides a law degree and passing the test.

[stein74]

First, finding a job in Seattle will be pretty tough when you graduate from a North Carolina school. The school just doesn't have the connections. If you have connections that will help, but if you're dead set on moving to Seattle you're putting yourself at a pretty significant disadvantage by attending school across the country.

Second, most law schools (the exceptions are the top ones) teach to the state bar exam. It's not really tough to take a different bar exam upon graduation, but again you'll be at a disadvantage. Once you are admitted to a state bar it's not terribly difficult to gain admission to the bar of another state. Some states have reciprocity agreements; in others you'll have to take the state bar exam again.

[hillocke]

It's not easy.
Once you graduate, you have to pass the bar in the state you want to practice in.
And yes, all law schools teach to the state they are located in.

The problem is resources; If you get in to UNC and you pass the bar, then you would have to pick up, move to Seattle, spend several months studying for the bar in WA state and then find a job. So, you not only need enough in loan money to get you through your schooling, but then enough to move, and have enough time to study and pass the WA state bar. And yes, you might be able to find employment as a paralegal while you study in WA but that sure won't cover your loans.
As you might or might not know, there's a glut of lawyers on the market in the US and growing by the year, so it might be tough to complete against all the freshly minted UW JD's

[jabarl]

It took fifteen seconds to find a website that says "WASHINGTON: This state has formal reciprocity agreements with the following states: AK, CO, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NH, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WV, WI, WY."

Under Washington law, if you are "house counsel", i.e., advising your corporate employer on its own legal issues (but not going to court for them), you may practice without a WA license, but must maintain your out-of-state license in good standing.

Because WA does not recognize the MPRE, if you want a WA license after being admitted in an MPRE state, you may be required to take the WA PRE, which is 135 minutes to answer 6 ethics essay questions based upon the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct.

To be "waived" into NC, on the other hand (without taking their bar exam), you need to have practiced law for 48 months out of the previous 6 years, along with the other criteria of certified good standing.