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 new report just released by a group of state chief justices.
The report 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 finds that 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.
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, only six states have actually enacted alternative attorney licensing pathways that do not rely solely on the bar exam; another seven are currently considering such alternatives. The committee found that 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.
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 (ABA)-accredited law school in order to be licensed.
The Trump administration has recently 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.
You can read more about this report here.
And if you are planning to take the bar exam this coming February and want to get a head start (which is always a good idea), just email or call us at Marino Legal to discuss our Early Start bar review program.