Lawyers are licensed in each state. Typically, only lawyers licensed in a state can practice law in the state. What exactly that means is fuzzy. Generally you n

Lawyers are licensed in each state. Typically, only lawyers licensed in a state can practice law in the state. What exactly that means is fuzzy. Generally you need to be licensed in a state to appear in court in that state. Though for federal courts you can appear on a temporary basis in another state, usually if you’re working with another lawyer who is licensed in that state. But lawyers in one state typically can advise a client in that state about laws in another state—usually when the client’s activity is nationwide. For clients with interstate business, they usually have a team of lawyers. A lawsuit being heard in Minnesota state court may primarily be handled by a big national firm with lawyers licensed in New York, with local lawyers licensed in Minnesota to handle filings and court appearances.