Media Source:

ABA Journal

Media URL:

https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/oregons-alternative-pathway-to-the-bar-proves-popular

Date:

2024/06/13

Summary:

Lewis & Clark Professor Jo Perini-Abbott helped lead efforts in Oregon to provide an alternative to the bar examination, one in which law school graduates complete an apprenticeship under a supervising attorney. The alternative relieves the financial burden many new graduates face when they spend months studying for the exam, and it provides better career development than the high-stakes test. “So many of the mistakes that young attorneys get in trouble for can be avoided with a period of close mentorship at the beginning of a career,” observes Perini-Abbott. The program is in its first year, but one measurable result is that five students are pursuing the pathway to practice public sector law, notes Lewis & Clark Associate Dean John Parry.