The financial crisis has brought to light a chronic problem that has plagued the California Bar Examination for years. The current bar exam is antiquated, expensive, and doesn’t adequately measure the skills needed to be a successful attorney.
The bar exam is a three-day, 14-hour test that costs $1,000 to take. The exam is notoriously difficult, with a pass rate of only about 60%. This low pass rate has led to a backlog of applicants waiting to take the bar exam. As of January 2023, there were over 20,000 people on the waiting list to take the bar exam in California.
The high cost of the bar exam is also a major concern. Many law school graduates are already saddled with large amounts of debt, and the cost of the bar exam only adds to their financial burden. Some law school graduates are forced to delay taking the bar exam because they cannot afford the cost.
The current bar exam also doesn’t adequately measure the skills needed to be a successful attorney. The exam is heavily focused on memorization and regurgitation of legal rules, rather than on the practical skills that attorneys need to practice law. This means that many attorneys who pass the bar exam are not adequately prepared to practice law.
For all of these reasons, the California Bar Examination is in need of reform. The State Bar of California should adopt a new bar exam that is more affordable, more relevant, and more effective at measuring the skills needed to be a successful attorney. This is the only way to ensure that the public is protected and that the legal profession remains strong.
Kind regards
Dr. R. Hamilton
