Law graduates will be able to become licensed in Oregon without taking the bar exam, starting in May 2024.
  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    4•1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    Nov 7 (Reuters) - Law graduates will be able to become licensed in Oregon without taking the bar exam, starting in May 2024.

    The Oregon Supreme Court on Tuesday approved an alternative licensing program that bar exam reformers hope will spur further innovation in other states.

    The Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners, which developed the program, also plans to create a second alternative licensing pathway in which students at the state’s three law schools would spend their last two years of law school completing practice-based course work.

    In addition to completing 675 hours of paid legal work, participants in Oregon’s new program must submit at least eight examples of legal writing, take the lead in at least two initial client interviews or client counseling sessions, and head up two negotiations, among other requirements.

    Candidates may apply 100 hours of supervised legal work performed in law school clinics or internships toward the 675-hour requirement.

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  • @Holyginz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4•1 year ago

    Can anyone working in legal weigh in on this? I don’t know enough to know if this is a good idea or a bad one.

    • Tangled SlinkyEnglish
      12•1 year ago

      Well, it removes some pretty heavy financial obstacles for the profession and will allow a broader diversity of people to enter the field. Plus, anyone who has ever been to law school will tell you that it doesn’t teach you dick diddly about practicing law. Serving as a clerk/intern/junior associate is where you really cut your teeth. Some jurisdictions even have restrictions on your ability to practice on your own if you haven’t observed or participated in different types of legal matters. To that end, I think it’s terrific that this program has a fairly strong practical requirement.

      The bar is a way to show that you can at least think like an attorney in a variety of fields. That thought process is applied differently based on where you practice. I can’t get out of my own speeding ticket, but I can breeze through your average regulatory exam for my industry. I can do that because I’ve spent time in a few different disciplines within the legal field. I’m not sure if 16 weeks is necessarily a substitute for the exam, but that’s more time than I spent studying for it.

      Source: I’m a lawyer, and my uncle works for Nintendo.

      • @Holyginz@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3•1 year ago

        Thank you for the information! I had a feeling this was good i just wanted to get input from someone involved in the field before forming any conclusions.