Bar exam will no longer be required to become attorney in Washington State
Overview of Washington’s Change
- Washington will allow multiple alternatives to the traditional “law school + bar exam” track.
- Paths include post–law school apprenticeships plus coursework, and a route where law clerks can qualify without law school via standardized materials, benchmarks, and supervised work.
- Washington already allowed becoming a lawyer without law school via a law clerk program; this expands and formalizes alternatives and may remove the bar exam for some paths.
Debate: Bar Exam vs. Law School vs. Neither
- Some argue law school is the bigger barrier than the bar; they’d prefer hard exams and optional school, or even eliminating both and relying on ethics tests and background checks.
- Others see the bar exam as the most objective, merit-based filter left, more neutral than admissions and hiring.
- A faction views all standardized tests as poor proxies for real competence, advocating apprenticeship as the main filter.
Quality, Consumer Protection, and Inequality
- Skeptics fear lower standards will increase low-quality representation, especially for public defense and poorer clients, widening gaps between rich and poor litigants.
- Supporters counter that many incompetent lawyers already pass the bar, and that true skill comes only from practice and trial experience.
- There is concern about how to vet mentors in apprenticeships and whether 500–2,000 hours of work can be educational rather than rote tasks like document review.
- Some predict reputable firms and insurers will still favor traditional bar-pass lawyers, limiting the appeal of new pathways.
Access, Cost, and DEI Motives
- Several see this as a response to the high cost of legal education and underrepresentation of marginalized groups.
- Critics describe it as “lowering the bar” or DEI theater that doesn’t actually improve skills.
- Others argue more, not fewer, lawyers are needed for areas like AI governance and everyday “preventive” legal care.
Critiques of Legal Education and Testing
- Multiple commenters say law school and bar exams emphasize memorization and esoterica, not practical lawyering.
- Some propose more performance-based, open-book, or practice-oriented assessments instead of rote multiple-choice or broad-subject memorization.