CLEAR
Resources, information, and toolkits to support innovations in legal education, licensure, and practice.
As the regulators of the legal profession, state supreme courts are charged with protecting the public by ensuring the competency of licensed attorneys and improving access to legal services. Since 2023, the Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform has worked to examine the current state of legal education and the legal profession, identify challenges, and propose recommendations to address those challenges.
The Committee's foundational report, the 2025 CLEAR Report, identified a series of recommendations for how state courts can support the advancement of the legal profession while also ensuring access to justice.
Following the report's publication, the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators adopted a resolution to make CLEAR a permanent standing committee. Today, CLEAR identifies and supports innovations in the regulation of the practice of law and leads collaborative efforts to align legal education, accreditation, licensure, and practice with the public's legal needs, while also strengthening the profession itself.
Law school accreditation
State supreme courts should encourage law school accreditation that serves the public by promoting innovation, experimentation, and cost-effective legal education geared toward lawyers meeting the legal needs of the public.
Alternative pathways to attorney licensure
State supreme courts should reform bar admissions processes to better meet public needs by exploring innovative pathways to licensure that enhance practice readiness and address access to justice.
Rural practice
State supreme courts should encourage rural practice by expanding opportunities for cost-effective rural education by promoting distance learning, exploring innovative pathways designed to address rural legal needs, and encouraging internship, externship, and law clerkships.
Character & fitness requirements
State supreme courts and their boards of bar examiners should engage in careful review of character and fitness requirements to streamline the process and focus on information that meaningfully predicts misconduct (as each state defines the term).
Explore more CLEAR resources
National scan of student practice rules
An overview of national student practice rules and comparisons of their common features and requirements.
CLEAR backgrounder
A summary of the committee's purpose and scope in examining legal education and admissions reform.
CLEAR story map
Follow a journey outlining the challenges and realities facing legal education and the legal profession.
Connect with us
Interested in implementing one of the CLEAR recommendations in your state? Have ideas about how state courts can improve legal education and licensure practices and processes to ensure access to competent legal representation? We're here to help.
