The Board of Trustees (Board) and the Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) held a rare joint meeting Thursday to consider and make recommendations to the proposed amendments from the California Supreme Court relating to Admissions and California bar exam oversight following a 45-day public comment period. The Board and CBE also discussed Admissions and Provisional Licensure Program (PLP) fees, and planning for future bar exams.
Following the administration of the California Bar Exam in February 2025, the Court issued an order in May proposing a series of amendments to Title 9 of the California Rules of Court, which, among other topics, intended to clarify the authority and respective responsibilities of the Board, the CBE, and the Supreme Court regarding the bar exam and other Admissions matters.
Consistent with the Court’s directive, the Board and CBE approved advancing back to the Court recommended revisions to the proposed rule amendments that would, among other things:
Clarify that CBE appointees may continue in office beyond the expiration of their terms and until their successors are reappointed;
Provide that CBE regularly review revenue and expenses in the Admissions Fund and propose an Office of Admissions budget, subject to review and approval by the Board;
Permit CBE to provide a recommendation to the Executive Director regarding candidates under consideration for the staff leadership position in the Admissions Division;
Allow CBE to set fees related to Admissions programs, subject to approval by the Board;
Allow CBE to delegate authority to its subcommittees, which would report such actions to CBE at its next regularly scheduled meeting; and
Clarify the changes to the bar exam that would require a cost-benefit analysis, and that such analysis should be presented to the Board and, if appropriate, the Court.
The Court’s proposed amendments also included revisions to rules in Title 9 pertaining to regulation and discipline. The Board approved delegation to staff to address these revisions in consultation with the chair and the vice chair of the Board.
In a discussion on the development of recommendations for future bar exams, the CBE approved guiding principles and priorities adopted by the Board at its May meeting, adding a principle to avoid locking the State Bar into long-term vendor contracts so as to provide flexibility in licensing innovation. Both the Board and CBE approved a timeline that would allow for a required two-year notice and proposed changes to the content of the bar exam to be provided by July 2026, creating the possibility of continuing with the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)’s Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) up to and including the February 2028 exam.
Statement from Board Chair Brandon Stallings and CBE Chair Alex Chan:
“Today’s joint meeting reflects our shared commitment to serve California’s bar exam applicants while maintaining the integrity, reliability, and fairness of the California bar exam. We thank the California Supreme Court for its thoughtful amendments and its ongoing leadership. Our collective aim is to advance the ethical and competent practice of law, and support efforts to increase access to and inclusion in the legal system, improve the applicant experience, ensure appropriate oversight, and uphold the high standards the public expects of the legal profession in California.”
In other actions at this meeting, the Board and CBE:
Declined to raise the application fee to sit for the February 2026 bar exam. Instead, there will be a fuller discussion in November 2025 that could result in changes to Admissions programs fees effective January 1, 2026, and bar exam fees for the July 2026 exam and thereafter.
Set the fee for the 2025 Provisional Licensure Program (PLP) at $1,200, with a 50 percent reduced fee for Provisionally Licensed Lawyers (PLLs) who work for legal services organization that are funded through Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) funds.
Heard a presentation on data regarding past PLP participants and how the Office of Admissions will support new PLLs, as well as study the treatment and pay disparities of PLLs. The PLP was created in 2020 during the COVID pandemic (Original cohort) and expanded in 2021 in response to the recent lowering of the bar exam pass score (Pathway cohort). Effective September 1, 2025, there will be a new February 2025 cohort in response to the issues related to the February 2025 bar exam. Surveys of past cohorts show high satisfaction (86 percent of participants, 89 percent of supervisors) but note challenges including combining bar study with work, perceived “second class” treatment, and pay disparities—76 percent of PLLs were paid, compared to 47 percent of Black PLLs, 39 percent of those ages 56–69, and 66 percent of men versus 75 percent of women.
The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.
