Latest news with #barexam
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Washington Post
Law school grad has medical emergency and collapses during bar exam in New York
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — A law school graduate collapsed while taking the bar exam in a New York City suburb this week, prompting an emergency response as other aspiring lawyers worked on their exams. But some Reddit users claiming they were among the test-takers Wednesday say they're upset the exam wasn't halted outright.
Reuters
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
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. Read more: Chief state court judges to examine bar admissions nationwide Trump executive order says ABA's role as law school accreditor may be revoked
Reuters
23-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Delaware eyes bar exam alternatives for lawyer licensing
May 23 (Reuters) - Delaware has joined the growing list of states weighing alternative ways to license attorneys. The Delaware Supreme Court on Thursday said it will consider ways to license lawyers without the bar exam, such as providing admissions after two years of specific coursework and assignments or an apprenticeship program. The court cited the success of the alternative licensing program in New Hampshire as a potential model in announcing a task force to look at alternative lawyer licensing. Delaware, despite being the place of incorporation for 62% of companies last year on the Russell 3000 index, which covers nearly all public companies, has just two American Bar Association-accredited law schools and is a relatively small bar exam jurisdiction. Some 185 people were admitted to practice there in 2024 through the bar exam, according to data from the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The court also pointed to recently adopted alternative licensing programs in a handful of the other states including Oregon, Washington and South Dakota as potential models for its program. Proponents say those pathways lower the cost of licensure for law graduates and bypass the racial gaps seen on bar exam pass rates. Details of various states' alternative licensing programs differ, but most involve law graduates working for a designated period under the guidance of a supervising attorney with some external evaluation of their work product. Oregon jump-started the current licensure reform movement in 2023 when it adopted an apprenticeship pathway for law school graduates that does not require taking the bar. Washington followed with a similar approach in March 2024, and in July, Arizona put a plan in motion that lets law grads who fail the bar exam obtain a license through a practical skills program. South Dakota earlier this year adopted a pilot program that allows a limited number of local law graduates to become licensed without the bar exam after working under supervision, provided they commit to public service careers. Like Delaware, high courts in Minnesota and Utah are currently considering licensing alternatives. But no large states have adopted alternatives to the bar exam as yet. California's Supreme Court in October rejected a proposed alternative pathway that would have enabled law school graduates to become licensed after spending four to six months working under the supervision of an experienced attorney and submitting an acceptable portfolio of legal work. The court said the proposal would have implicated an "array of ethical and practical problems.' The Delaware task force's report is due in June 2026. Read more: California alternative lawyer licensing plan rejected by state high court No bar exam required to practice law in Oregon starting next year
