Legal Education

Apologizing for ‘frustration, confusion,’ California offers refunds to February bar examinees

Updated: The State Bar of California is offering refunds to applicants registered to take February 2025 bar exam because of “scheduling challenges, poor communication and inconsistent messaging,” according to a post on its website.

Feb 19, 2025 8:57 AM CST

Are gendered Oscars constitutional? University of New Mexico students are asking the question

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is considering a petition from undergraduate students in a University of New Mexico constitutional law course that questions the 96-year-old policy of separating actor awards by gender, stating it is legally flawed.

Feb 18, 2025 2:16 PM CST

Jurist Doctors: These physicians went to law school for new challenges

Established physicians who go to law school are seeking new challenges and opportunities—ranging from facing the demands of law school to earning new credentials to starting a new career.

Feb 12, 2025 8:53 AM CST

This ‘reinvigorated’ doctrine could be used to challenge Trump’s tariffs

Importers and others who want to challenge tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump could argue that he doesn’t have that power—but the argument isn’t a slam dunk, legal experts say.

Feb 5, 2025 11:59 AM CST

A Fond Farewell: Law prof’s dying father leads family out of the Palisades wildfire

“Losing our home with all of our possessions pales in comparison to losing my dad. But the things also matter. So many special mementos he had kept for his entire life to pass down to us—letters, photos, memories from our childhoods.”

Feb 5, 2025 10:30 AM CST

Law prof who used F-word while criticizing political leaders can’t be reinstated immediately, appeals court says

Updated: A state appeals court stepped in after a judge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, issued a temporary restraining order that required Louisiana State University to reinstate a law professor to teaching following his suspension for “inappropriate statements” in the classroom.

Feb 4, 2025 9:14 AM CST

What questions about criminal history are appropriate to ask bar applicants?

The ABA House of Delegates at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Phoenix on Monday overwhelmingly passed a resolution urging bar admissions authorities to limit the scope of inquiries into an applicant’s criminal record.

Feb 3, 2025 4:44 PM CST

Plane crash victims include 2 Wilkinson Stekloff associates, civil rights attorney set to join law faculty

Victims of the Washington, D.C., plane crash Jan. 29 include two Wilkinson Stekloff associates and a civil rights lawyer planning to join the faculty of the Howard University School of Law this fall.

Feb 3, 2025 10:53 AM CST

Blazing a Trail: Oregon is moving away from the traditional bar exam and embracing supervised practice

When the Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners opened up applications for its Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination in May, some members of its Licensure Pathway Development Committee were nervous.

Feb 1, 2025 12:30 AM CST

Examining the Future: Joan Howarth and Deborah Jones Merritt are spearheading efforts to reinvent attorney licensing

For the last three decades, complaints about the bar exam were common but change was minimal. But Joan Howarth and Deborah Jones Merritt wanted to do more than grumble.

Feb 1, 2025 12:15 AM CST

Trump’s firing of NLRB member could lead to reconsideration of 1935 Supreme Court precedent

A challenge to a 1935 U.S. Supreme Court precedent could be brewing, after President Donald Trump fired a Democratic member of the National Labor Relations Board.

Jan 30, 2025 12:09 PM CST

Both Dakotas consider widely different public service options to bar exam, law school

In efforts to ease the shortage of lawyers in rural areas, North and South Dakota are each considering public service options that impact bar admission, though each offers very different requirements—including whether going to law school is necessary.

Jan 28, 2025 3:54 PM CST

LexisNexis launches new AI program for law firms

LexisNexis officially announced Monday the commercial availability of its Protégé personalized artificial intelligence assistant in U.S. markets.

Jan 27, 2025 9:02 AM CST

Bar associations could be targeted, Trump DEI order says, spurring response from 2 of them

Bar associations could be targeted for investigation under President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end “illegal preferences and discrimination” in government and the private sector.

Jan 23, 2025 10:55 AM CST

LA wildfires will not stop California’s plans to offer new bar exam next month

Updated: While plans to launch a new Kaplan-developed bar exam Feb. 25 and 26 move forward, the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners will consider offering a refund to February examinees impacted by the wildfires that have plagued the Los Angeles area.

Jan 22, 2025 2:41 PM CST