HIGHER EDUCATION
New Mexico law graduates can become attorneys without the bar exam
Supreme Court OKs new skills-based pathway to licensure
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New Mexico soon will allow law school graduates to become attorneys without taking the bar exam.
Would-be attorneys can soon become licensed by completing 675 hours of work in a year under the supervision of a licensed lawyer and submitting a portfolio showing their expertise in legal writing, client meetings, advocacy before a judge and other areas of the law, the New Mexico Supreme Court announced.
A court order last week authorized a committee to begin drafting the framework for the program, which could begin accepting applications by mid-2027, according to a news release.
Court officials hope the pathway to skills-based licensure will help relieve the drought of lawyers in New Mexico, chiefly in rural areas. Two-thirds of New Mexico鈥檚 33 counties have fewer than one lawyer for each 1,000 residents, making them a 鈥渓egal desert鈥� under the American Bar Association鈥檚 definition.
New Mexico ranks 36th out of 50 states for lawyers per capita, according to data from the .
鈥淭he bar exam tests on some foundational knowledge of legal issues and legal standards, but I don鈥檛 think it tests on things that lawyers need, like being able to counsel their clients, or advise them or give feedback or just practice in a practical setting,鈥� said Allison Block-Chavez, president of the State Bar of New Mexico.
All participants must have a law degree, complete a character and fitness assessment and pass a test on the ethical responsibilities of attorneys, like all prospective lawyers in New Mexico. Applications will be reviewed by the state Board of Bar Examiners, and the traditional bar exam will remain an option.
鈥淭here are lots of criteria that are going to ensure that these attorneys are well prepared,鈥� Block-Chavez said. 鈥淚鈥檓 confident that the Board of Bar Examiners is going to continue to have the same rigorous standards of competence, ethics and professionalism that they have, even for bar takers.鈥�
The new method of licensure will ensure new attorneys 鈥減ossess the practical, on-the-job lawyering skills needed to help New Mexicans,鈥� New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Julie J. Vargas said in a news release.
New Mexico joins a handful of states with alternative licensure programs already in place, including Arizona, which launched a similar pathway in 2024 for law graduates who narrowly failed the bar exam to become licensed attorneys through apprenticeships in rural areas or public law offices, and Oregon, which grants licenses to law graduates who complete 675 hours of supervised legal work.
For some students, the 675 hours and 12 months of apprenticing under the alternative pathway might prove to be more work than just taking the bar exam, which is usually two months of studying, said Albuquerque criminal defense attorney Sarah Gorman. Still, Gorman said, the alternative pathway could be a viable option.
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 something worth pursuing,鈥� Gorman said. 鈥淏eing a Chicana attorney and seeing how our students of color sometimes don鈥檛 perform very well on standardized tests for many reasons 鈥� this might be a different pathway that still allows for quality attorneys to be practicing in New Mexico.鈥�
Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.
