Utah is stepping into a new era for aspiring lawyers. The state Supreme Court has greenlit a program allowing graduates from accredited law schools to earn a law license without sitting for the traditional bar exam. Instead, candidates can complete 240 hours of hands-on work under the guidance of an experienced attorney—and meet other requirements—to practice law. Taking the bar exam remains an option for those who prefer it.
The initiative is designed to ease the heavy financial and logistical burden of bar prep, which can cost over $2,000, while still equipping new lawyers with the skills needed to thrive in practice, according to the Utah State Bar.
Brigham Young University law professor Catherine Bramble, a key architect of the program, says the move challenges decades of tradition. “We can rethink what it truly means to be a competent attorney,” she said, emphasizing the profession’s opportunity to innovate.
Utah joins a growing list of states experimenting with alternatives to the bar exam. Oregon pioneered the movement in 2023 with an apprenticeship pathway, followed by Washington in 2024. Arizona also introduced a practical skills route for graduates who don’t pass the bar.
The idea has been in the works in Utah since 2020, when a Supreme Court working group began exploring alternatives. Its 2023 report concluded that the bar exam is “not the only or best way” to ensure competence, noting its high cost, incomplete measure of legal skills, and disparities in performance across racial lines.
Under Utah’s new program, law students must complete certain law school courses, pass a written skills test similar to the Multistate Performance Test, and finish the supervised hours after graduation. Licenses earned this way will only be valid in Utah. Applications open January 1.
