<p>Ok, this may sound stupid, but I really don't know the answer. Say John wants to practice law in Florida, but goes to Cornell Law School in New York. After he's taken the basic classes about law and analytical thinking that everyone takes, does he spend additional time learning specifically about the laws of Florida ? I mean, doesn't the Bar exam test you on the routine/conventional law stuff, IN ADDITION TO , questions/components specific to the laws of the state in which you want to practice ? How does this exactly work, and how exactly does the Bar Exam vary state by state ?</p>
<p>I cannot speak for US law, but in Canada there are both Federal law and Provincial law. Federal law is the same regardless of which Province you work in, with some minor harmonization issues in Quebec. </p>
<p>Although each Province has its own laws, there are all similar in structure that a lawyer called in one Province (besides Quebec) can quickly grasp the subtilties of the laws in another Province. For example, the Province of Manitoba has different rules regarding Perpertuities. This is usually explained in textbooks. </p>
<p>I would guess this would be similar in the United States.</p>
<p>assuming things are the same now as they were 20 years ago, law grads generally take a bar review course for the bar exam they plan to take. </p>
<p>Law school, particularly the top national law schools, do not view themselves as preparing students for the bar exam. More local schools may cover more state specific topics.</p>
<p>you don't really know learn how to be a lawyer though until you are actually in practice. :)</p>
<p>There are bar review (prep) courses that vitually all law students take to prepare for a bar exam with classes for them starting very soon after completing your law school courses. They are in every state and big ones, particularly BAR-BRI, operate in virtually all states with a state component for each state to extent needed. </p>
<p>States generally have two day bar exams (to be taken in February or July) and for most one day is the multiple choice multi-state exam which is given nationwide twice a year, with the second day usually essay which may have portions focusing on particular state laws although a lot of the essay exam portions are usually things that do not differ from state to state (for example, the state essay exams usually have a federal constitutional law section, general contracts section, tort section, etc. which do not really require you to know a specific difference between one state's and another's laws; however, they may also have a state civil procedure section and the rules of civil procedure can vary among states). </p>
<p>Most states also require the multi-state professional responsibility exam (legal ethics) which is given nationally three times a year in March, August, or November.</p>