The Texas Supreme Court is asking for public comment on an order that could change the requirements for who can take the bar exam in Texas. Public comment on the order will end Dec. 1.
The changes would put the Texas Supreme Court in charge of determining which law school graduates can take the bar exam, or the test someone needs to pass to become a lawyer in Texas. Right now, only graduates from law schools accredited by the American Bar Association — a professional organization for lawyers that also sets law school standards — are able to take the test.
The changes would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
ABA-accredited law schools meet certain standards that ensure the school provides a sound legal education, according to the ABA website. Those standards include writing requirements, experiential learning and professional responsibility education.
Jenn Rosato Perea, director of the ABA’s section of legal education and admissions to the bar, said in a statement the ABA is “reviewing the implications” of the order.
“We will be providing comments to the Supreme Court on the proposed amendment in due course, as invited by the Court,” Perea said in the statement.
The order included an initial list of schools approved by the Court deemed as satisfying these new Texas requirements, which the order did not specify. Every ABA-accredited law school, including the UT School of Law, is listed, and the Court does not expect immediate changes to this list. The Court plans to develop an approach to receive requests from non-ABA schools that want to be added to Texas’ list, according to the order.
Christopher Roberts, the executive director of marketing and communications at UT Law, said while the order could still change after public comment, the ruling as it stands will not have any effect on students at UT Law School.
“Our students are still going to be graduating from an ABA-accredited law school,” Roberts said. “They’re still going to be eligible to sit for the bar exam anywhere in the country because of that.”
The Texas Supreme Court wrote in the order that they do not plan to impose additional burdens on currently approved law schools, “which need not take any additional action in order to remain approved law schools in Texas.”
When the court initially asked for comment on ABA requirements in April, Robert “Bobby” Chesney, dean of the School of Law, asked the Court to consider granting exceptions to the ABA requirement, which he said are “overly restrictive” in a June letter.
“It would be fascinating to see what might arise, should the Court reopen such a pathway given the current climate of innovation, change and cost concerns,” wrote Chesney in the letter.
Perea said ABA’s accreditation ensures lawyers in America are “competent, ethical and able to provide effective legal services to the public.”
“We look forward to continuing to work with Texas and other states to ensure that a national accreditation system exists that promotes quality, efficiency and flexibility while maintaining law degree portability across state lines,” Perea said.
