30-07-2025
States should consider bar exam alternatives, chief justices say
July 30 (Reuters) - Establishing new ways to license attorneys beyond the bar exam and encouraging innovation by law schools are among the ways state courts can improve America's justice system, according to a report released Wednesday by a group of state chief justices.
The report, opens new tab comes from the Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform, an 18-month collaboration between the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators. It said state supreme courts should take a more active role in legal education and attorney admissions in order to address unmet legal needs, declining public confidence in courts and the legal system, and barriers to public service legal careers. State supreme courts oversee attorney licensure.
The report recommended encouraging hands-on learning opportunities for lawyers and law students, reforming the bar admissions process and examining alternatives to the bar exam, streamlining character and fitness reviews, supporting public service attorneys, and encouraging attorneys to practice in rural areas.
To date, six states have enacted alternative attorney licensing pathways that don't rely solely on the bar exam, and another seven are considering such alternatives, according to the report. Such moves can lower costs for law graduates and get them into practice sooner while also helping states encourage public service careers and legal access in rural areas, the committee found.
State supreme courts should also encourage a law school accreditation process that 'promotes innovation, experimentation, and cost-effective legal education,' the report said.
Nearly all states currently require graduation from an American Bar Association-accredited law school in order to be licensed, though the Supreme Courts of Florida, Texas and Ohio are reviewing their requirements.
The Trump administration has threatened to revoke the ABA's status as the federal government's designated accreditor of law schools, citing diversity and inclusion efforts by the group that the administration says are discriminatory.
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