The bar exam, which officially qualifies law school graduates to practice as lawyers, is one of the most dreaded tasks law students face. But starting next year, would-be barristers in Oregon can bypass the exam and still practice law.
There are, of course, a few catches.
The program, which was approved this week by the Oregon Supreme Court, would require people looking to bypass the bar exam to graduate from law school and spend 675 hours working under the supervision of a licensed attorney. In that time, the candidate will have to assemble a portfolio of legal work, which the bar will then grade as an alternative to the traditional exam.
Up to 100 hours of work performed during internships can be counted toward the total requirement. Junior associates who put in a 10-hour day, which is hardly uncommon for beginning lawyers, could complete the hours requirement in roughly three months.
Beyond working the required hours, lawyers looking to skip the bar exam in Oregon will need to submit eight or more examples of legal writing, oversee two negotiations and lead the interviews of at least two clients.
The program is called the Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination and it’s open to both in-state and out-of-state applicants. Two other states, Wisconsin and New Hampshire, have similar programs and California is reportedly considering one of its own.
The pandemic forced the legal industry to rethink the bar exam and its necessity. As students were unable to gather to take the test, some states, including Washington and Utah, temporarily agreed to accept “diploma privilege” —a right to become attorneys based on receiving a degree from an accredited law school—as a credential.
Oregon’s alternative method of licensing lawyers will go into effect in May 2024.