Program at a glance
- Program name: Law Office Study (Combination) Program
- Governing rule: Rules of the Court of Appeals for Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law, §520.4
- Duration: Commonly structured as 1 year of ABA law school plus 3 years of law office study (other Board-approved combinations exist)
- Time commitment: Full-time study for the law-office-study years, generally treated as equivalent to full-time law school attendance
- Who can supervise you: A qualified, actively practicing New York attorney (or judge) whose supervision arrangement satisfies the Board of Law Examiners.
- Registration: Requires registration and ongoing compliance filings with the New York State Board of Law Examiners.
The bar exam path
You still sit the New York Bar Examination (New York is a UBE jurisdiction) after completing your combined course of study and receiving the Board's certification.
Why apprentices choose New York
- One of the very few states besides Maine that still runs any form of combination program, giving New York-based apprentices a real, if partial, alternative to three full years of law school tuition.
- New York's size means a somewhat larger pool of attorneys, though few are experienced with combination-study supervision specifically.
What to weigh before committing
- You must still be admitted to and complete a year of ABA-accredited law school; this is not a law-school-free route.
- New York's process and paperwork are administered centrally by the Board of Law Examiners and require careful, early coordination.
- This path is uncommon enough that few current attorneys or law schools have direct experience advising candidates through it, so expect to do extra homework.
Step-by-step process
- Confirm your specific combination plan is acceptable to the New York State Board of Law Examiners before starting.
- Complete the required law school portion at an ABA-accredited school.
- Complete the required law-office-study years under an approved supervising attorney, filing compliance reports as required.
- Apply to sit the New York Bar Examination once your combined study is certified complete.