News & publications

8/4/26 -  New Mexico Creates Bar Exam Alternative for Lawyers 
Summary: The New Mexico Supreme Court approves a new alternative licensing pathway for law graduates. They may bypass the traditional bar examination by completing 675 hours of paid, supervised practice over 12 months and submit a portfolio for evaluation.
 

6/1/26 - New York-Based Touro Law to Establish Campus in Montana 
Summary: New York-Based Touro Law School to establish new campus to make legal education more accessible for working professionals and to help combat the rural justice gap in Montana. 
 

5/4/26 - Alternative Educational Pathways into the Legal Profession
Summary: This article explores stratification within the profession from the lens of the existing, traditional path — going to school and taking the bar exam. It compares ABA-accredited vs. non-ABA accredited law schools and explores how law school rank and type (i.e. traditional, ABA-approved law school vs. unaccredited for-profit school) impact career outcomes. 

This article does not explore rethinking or expanding pathways into the profession or meaningfully discuss non-exam based pathways to becoming a lawyer, for example, apprenticeships, diploma privilege, or non–law school routes. 

1/29/26 - The Keystone State Should Forge a New Path to Lawyer Licensure 
Summary: This article argues that Pennsylvania should not adopt the NextGen bar examination and should develop a new, state-specific pathway to lawyer licensure that better serves the needs of the legal profession and the public. It highlights challenges to the NextGen exam and argues that "these deficiencies hinder equitable access to licensure, disproportionately affecting underrepresented groups and perpetuating systemic barriers within the profession."