Law Students

Could the bar exam become on demand?

As technology evolves and improves, the National Conference of Bar Examiners could consider offering the bar exam remotely—and even possibly on demand.

Jul 21, 2025 9:18 AM CDT

Law students’ shifting career goals tied to changing interests, compensation, NALP study finds

More than 40% of 2021 graduates shifted their career goals during law school, prompted by changing interests and compensation issues, according to a Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction study.

Jul 15, 2025 2:22 PM CDT

Planning to attend law school? New student loan restrictions may affect the decision

Financing law school will become more difficult for many students as a result of federal loan restrictions in the budget megabill signed by President Donald Trump on July 4.

Jul 14, 2025 8:53 AM CDT

Pitt Law grad credits creative writing class for her winning story in ABA Journal’s 2025 Ross Writing Contest

A creative writing class at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law awakened a love for writing and led to a $5,000 prize for the winner of the 2025 ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction.

Jul 10, 2025 12:13 PM CDT

Didn’t get a summer associate offer? You’re not alone

Law students hoping to land a coveted law firm spot post-graduation are facing a changing job market. The traditional summer associate role is no longer a direct route to a job. Instead, law firms are finding new recruiting strategies.

Jul 9, 2025 12:15 PM CDT

NextGen UBE ‘blueprint’ welcome, but more info on new bar exams needed, sources say

The National Conference of Bar Examiners’ “blueprint” for the NextGen UBE offers welcome info about how the new test will be different than the current Uniform Bar Exam, legal academics say. But they also say that critical pieces of information are still missing—and can’t come soon enough for law schools and bar candidates.

Jun 30, 2025 9:28 AM CDT

Law student who argued Constitution protects white people received award for top grade in originalism seminar

Updated: A Florida law student won an award after arguing in a paper that the United States was conceived as a white country, and federal courts “have the power to arrest the dispossession of white America.”

Jun 23, 2025 3:31 PM CDT

BigLaw’s manufactured ‘arms race’ for talent recruitment harms us all

BigLaw has manufactured an “arms race” for talent that is hurting employers, students, recruiters, career counselors and legal educators alike. Like most arms races, the action of one law firm has triggered the reactions of others, all seeking to cultivate the impression of superior strength while instead imposing enormous (and often-absurd) costs on everyone.

Jun 18, 2025 8:36 AM CDT

California Supreme Court OKs provisional licensure—but not for all February candidates

First-time California bar candidates who failed or withdrew from the disastrous February launch of the state bar’s new exam can apply to practice law with the supervision of a licensed attorneys, a move some deem “too little, too late.” That chance came Wednesday after the California Supreme Court approved the State Bar of California’s request to extend the state’s provisional licensure program that was launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jun 13, 2025 11:00 AM CDT

Recruitment season is moving up as firms search for summer talent

The start of recruitment season for both 1L and 2L summer opportunities keeps creeping forward. In fact, students increasingly have offers for 2L summer positions before spring arrives during their 1L year, and outreach by firms sometimes starts just after students receive their acceptance into law school.

Jun 1, 2025 2:40 AM CDT

Cost of law school drives where students enroll, new LSAC study shows

Anticipating substantial loans to finance their education, the vast majority—84%—of first-year law students in 2024 said cost was a driving factor for choosing a law school, according to a new study by the Law School Admission Council.

May 30, 2025 11:19 AM CDT

Political climate motivates prelaw students to apply, new Kaplan survey shows

More than half of students who were preparing to go to law school said politics impacted their decision to apply, according to a survey from test prep company Kaplan released Thursday.

May 15, 2025 8:48 AM CDT

Pipeline internship program used by prestigious law firms discriminates based on race, group contends

A law firm fellowship program for incoming law students is “the largest racially discriminatory hiring pipeline program in the legal field," according to a charge of discrimination filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by a legal advocacy group.

May 14, 2025 9:17 AM CDT

Should law schools have more hands-on learning requirements?

Law students will need to get twice as much practical, hands-on experience before graduation if a proposal by the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions moves forward.

May 12, 2025 4:30 PM CDT

More than half of reporting states see drop in February bar pass rates

More than half of the states reporting results from February’s bar exam saw drops in overall pass rates, with most reporting a 50% or lower pass rate, according to statistics collected by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

May 1, 2025 4:11 PM CDT