Washington State drops bar exam requirement to reduce 'barriers' and inequities

The Washington State Supreme Court ruled Friday that prospective lawyers will not have to take the traditional National Conference of Bar Examiners test to receive licenses.

Students will be able to bypass the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) and become certified through alternative licensing methods. Law school graduates can enroll in apprenticeship programs and experiential pathways to become practice-ready upon completion.

With these alternative pathways, we recognize that there are multiple ways to ensure a competent, licensed body of new attorneys who are so desperately needed around the state,” Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis remarked.

The court also permitted investigations into lawyers to ensure career-long competency while reducing the timeline to one year for out-of-state attorneys to become eligible in Washington.