In The New York Times, Dean Allard Applauds Court Decision on California Bar Exam

Dean Nick Allard praised a decision by the California Supreme Court to lower the passing score on that state’s bar exam, telling The New York Times it is a significant measure to “take back control of licensing and admitting new lawyers.”

California’s bar exam currently has the second-highest “cut score”—144—with only Delaware requiring a higher passing score of 145 for admission to the bar. (New York’s cut score is 133.) Only 62 percent of first-time test-takers passed the California bar exam last year, leading the deans of 20 ABA-accredited law schools in the state to ask the Supreme Court to lower the requirement. The court released amendments this week showing that it will do just that.

“Traditional bar exam and licensing practices have outlived their sell-by date and are increasingly hard, if not impossible, to justify as serving the best interests of the profession or the public,” Allard said.

California Supreme Court Moves to Make Bar Exam Easier to Pass, The New York Times, July 14, 2017.