Law & Policy

The legal profession is often thought of as conservative, archaic and resistant to change, but huge changes are coming soon to the licensure process in many states.

Washington and Oregon do not require a bar exam to get licensed. Instead you just have to graduate, practice under supervision, do some pro bono, and pass a short MPT-style skills-based exam. Minnesota, Nevada, South Dakota, and Utah are soon to implement a similar process. The big hurdle now is the lack of reciprocity between states, but this will improve eventually. 

17 states will also implement the Next Gen Bar soon which which will focus much more on skills vs memorization. It will also remove several traditional subjects and add skills like client counseling, negotiation, and research.

Overall I think these are hugely beneficial changes. The bar exam is a massive waste of time and money and tests your capacity for suffering and memorization over actual lawyering skills.

Next step: make law school two years vs. three.