Barbri Int’l comes to Dubai

An attorney-at-law qualification has become an entry level requirement for many of the leading areas of international legal services. This legal qualification can now be obtained in Dubai as well from Barbri International, a part of Barbri. Barbri has 45 years of experience as a training provider of Law School graduates in the United States and has assisted over one million US and non-US candidates obtain this qualification.

Oliver Connolly, president of Barbri International, delivered a seminar titled, 'Gaining the passport to work in Legal Services Internationally with the 'American Attorney at Law' Programme' on Thurday, 23 January 2014 at the DIFC.  Connolly isan attorney-at-law in New York and a barrister-at-law both at the English and Irish Bars. He founded Friarylaw over 13 years ago. During that time, Friarylaw became the number one US Bar Exam provider on the island of Ireland. Friarylaw recently partnered with Barbri to become Barbri International, with a goal to make available first-class bar training for any eligible foreign law graduate or professional. Michael Gorman, qualified as an attorney in New York and Georgia and the chief operations officer for the International division, joined Connolly in sharing the details of the course.

“We were attracted to Dubai as is aggressively ambitious and is a regional and international service centre. The qualification adds value, it enhances the quality of local legal services and provides that element of internationality to the trading sector,” commented Connolly. Gorman added, “The reason why the qualification has relevance be it New York or California for Dubai is because there is a changing paradigm of legal services internationally. What was lawyer one point where one could be locally qualified, experienced and educated is giving way to lawyer 2.0 who is an internationalist. Having a dual qualification has become an absolute requirement for international businesses. And we are here to help lawyers achieve those credentials.”

Barbri Interanational will establish itself in the region by the second week of March 2014. The five-month course will equip eligible candidates to pass the New York Bar and California Bar exams. They plan to conduct two sessions in a year – March to July and October to February.  Interested candidates will have to meet specific eligibility criteria to be able to take part in the New York or California Bar exam. The course is designed for working professionals who can do the course along with their day-jobs.

However, both Connolly and Gorman stressed that the course is not for the faint-hearted and will require hard work and dedication to qualify. Conolly shared, “The prize is that you qualify as an attorney in law. We have successful alumni all around the world who testify that this has enhanced their professional and personal development.  It gives you the ability to work internationally, adds value to the quality of local services when you choose to return to your home turf and has broader societal benefits as a result of that. This plurality makes it perfect for a place like Dubai.”

For more information on the course, visit www.barbri-international.com