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Joint Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of the California Bar Exam Holds First Meeting

The joint Supreme Court and State Bar Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of the Bar Exam will hold its first meeting on July 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The commission is charged with developing comprehensive recommendations concerning the California Bar Exam’s future, including whether and what changes to make to the exam and whether to adopt alternative or additional testing or tools to ensure minimum competence to practice law. More on the commission’s charter 

The commission is chaired by Justice Patricia Guerrero of the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District. “I am excited to chair this group to explore how best to promote public protection, access to justice, and diversity of the legal profession,” Justice Guerrero said. “As a first-generation college student, I know firsthand the challenges faced by many applicants. I was fortunate to have family support and financial assistance, but too many applicants, particularly those from disadvantaged groups, face many obstacles that impair their ability to pass the bar exam. The commission’s diverse expertise and talents will help us take a comprehensive, future-focused approach to answering a very important question: how to shape an exam that measures the right things to ensure that entry-level attorneys are ready to practice law competently and ethically.”

The 19 commission members have multiple areas of expertise and represent a wide range of stakeholders, including the California Lawyers Association; law school deans and faculty; Committee of Bar Examiners; former members of the California Attorney Practice Analysis working group; Council on Access and Fairness; judges; National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) Testing Task Force; California Department of Consumer Affairs; State Bar Board of Trustees; and national experts on developing exams and online testing security. Commission bios

During its first public meeting, which will be conducted via Zoom, the commission will take public comment to inform their thinking and discuss topics that will position it to make the important decisions with which it is charged. Those topics will include an overview of how the exam is currently developed, administered, and graded; the results of the California Attorney Practice Analysis, completed in 2020, which provided the first California-specific and current information regarding the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by entry-level attorneys; the current relationship between the Multistate Bar Exam, developed by the NCBE, and California's Bar Exam; and the NCBE’s plans for the future of the Uniform Bar Exam.

The commission is currently slated to issue a final report and recommendations to the Supreme Court and the State Bar by January 31, 2022.

A recording of the meeting will be posted here.

Further information about the commission as well as a form to sign up for meeting notifications is available on the State Bar website.

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The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.