Bar Exam | IAALS

Oregon’s Groundbreaking Approach to Legal Licensure Paves Way for Other States

In November, Oregon made history by introducing a non-exam, performance-based pathway to licensure for lawyers. By exploring alternative routes and gathering data, other states can establish rigorous, fair systems that foster competent legal professionals.

Building a Better Bar: Capturing Minimum Competence

The legal profession has never had a clear, explicit understanding of the minimum competence needed to practice law and how it should be tested on the bar exam (or through other licensing approaches). Through this project, we have defined minimum competence and have new recommendations for how the legal licensing process—including the bar exam—must change to better serve the public.

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Oregon Becomes Trailblazer in New Attorney Licensing Pathway, Task Force to Receive Award

Oregon has pioneered a new lawyer licensing approach, allowing law school graduates to become licensed to practice law without taking the traditional bar exam. This innovative pathway to licensure was developed with insights from IAALS’ research.

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Utah Bar Admissions Working Group Proposes Novel Pathway Grounded in IAALS’ Research

The Utah Bar Admissions Working Group has proposed an inventive attorney licensure path rooted in IAALS' Building a Better Bar research. It addresses traditional bar exam shortcomings by prioritizing competence, diversity, and access to justice through five requirements for admission and continuous assessment.

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Better Lawyer Licensing, Part 4: The Final Three Building Blocks of Minimum Competence

In 2020, IAALS published its groundbreaking report on the 12 building blocks of minimum competence to be a lawyer, our 5 insights for assessment, and our 10 recommendations for better legal licensing. Here, we cover the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth building blocks of minimum competence.

Better Lawyer Licensing, Part 3: The Third Three Building Blocks of Minimum Competence

In 2020, IAALS published its groundbreaking report on the 12 building blocks of minimum competence to be a lawyer, our 5 insights for assessment, and our 10 recommendations for better legal licensing. Here, we cover the seventh, eighth, and ninth building blocks of minimum competence.

States Look Beyond Bar Exam to License Lawyers

A growing number of states are exploring the permanent implementation of alternative licensure approaches that would allow law school graduates to obtain their license through nontraditional avenues that run adjacent to—or bypass entirely—the bar exam.

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The Bar Exam Does More Harm than Good

The goal of any licensure process should be to make sure the public is protected from incompetence without serving as an artificial barrier to people entering the legal profession. Indeed, this is precisely what the bar exam purports to do. But does the bar exam actually do those things?

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Better Lawyer Licensing, Part 2: The Second Three Building Blocks of Minimum Competence

In October 2020, IAALS published its groundbreaking report on the 12 building blocks of minimum competence to be a lawyer, our 5 insights for assessment, and our 10 recommendations for better legal licensing—with the goal of improving the bar exam and the overall licensing process. Here, we cover the fourth, fifth, and sixth building blocks of minimum competence.

Better Lawyer Licensing, Part 1: The First Three Building Blocks of Minimum Competence