The bar exam will no longer be required for people who want to practice law in Washington state, the state Supreme Court ruled last week, prompted by equity concerns.
In a pair of orders Friday, the Washington Supreme Court approved “alternative pathways to lawyer licensure,” the court said in a press release.
The decision follows recommendations made by the state’s Bar Licensure Task Force, which was formed in 2020 to examine the issue. The task force recommended getting rid of the mandatory bar exam in order to “advance the cause of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
The task force found that the traditional bar exam “disproportionately and unnecessarily blocks historically marginalized groups from entering the practice of law.”
