On June 30, 2023, the State Bar submitted the Report and Recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of California Bar Exam (BRC) to the California Supreme Court.
On December 15, 2023, the State Bar submitted a proposal to the Court with a recommendation to pilot an alternative pathway to licensure, the Portfolio Bar Exam (PBE). The proposal indicated that the participants in the pilot PBE would consist of the remaining Provisionally Licensed Lawyers in the original Provisional Licensure Program for 2020 graduates.
On October 10, 2024, the Court adopted, in part and with modifications, the BRC recommendations. Specifically, the Court declined to adopt the recommendation to allow attorneys licensed in another United States jurisdiction to be admitted through reciprocity. Additionally, the Court declined to adopt the PBE. Please review the Court’s order for additional information.
Based on the Court’s order, the State Bar will develop a California-specific bar exam that will test 12 topics and 7 skills, incorporating the traits and factors adopted by the Court.
Please note that the Court issued orders on October 22, 2024, regarding the State Bar's proposals about the California Bar Exam Experiment and modifications to the bar exam beginning with the February 2025 administration.