This article originally appeared in The Bar Examiner print edition, Summer 2025 (Vol. 94, No. 2), pp. 43–53.
Rule Changes
For jurisdiction bar admission rules, including the updates below as applicable, visit the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements website at reports.ncbex.org/comp-guide/.
California
On June 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of California issued an order amending Rule 9.49 of the California Rules of Court regarding the Provisional Licensure Program first enacted in 2020. The amendment allows first-time examinees who either failed or withdrew from the February 2025 exam administration to provisionally practice under supervision of a licensed California attorney. Such examinees must apply to participate in the program by December 31, 2025. The Provisional Licensure Program is scheduled to end on December 31, 2027. The order goes on to deny “the State Bar of California’s request to explore proposals to adopt an expedited admissions process for attorneys licensed in other United States jurisdictions.” For the full text of the order, visit newsroom.courts.ca.gov/sites/default/files/newsroom/2025-06/S291047%20-%20Order%20State%20Bar%20Additional%20Remedies%20Bar%20Exam.pdf.
Nevada
On May 23, 2025, the Nevada Supreme Court approved adoption of the Nevada Comprehensive Licensing Examination. The new exam will replace the current Nevada bar exam format with a three-component staged assessment: the Foundational Law Exam (100-question multiple-choice, closed book exam); a Lawyering Performance Examination (3 two-hour performance tests); and a supervised practice requirement. Law students who graduate in December 2026 or later will be the first group of applicants to take the Comprehensive Licensing Exam. Applicants will still have to pass the MPRE and be reviewed for character and fitness prior to licensure.
The Nevada Bar Exam in its current form (6 Nevada essays, the MBE, 2 Nevada Performance Tests) will continue to be administered through the July 2026 administration.
For more information, visit nvbar.org/licensing-compliance/admissions/admissions-news/.
New Mexico
The New Mexico Supreme Court adopted a rule on May 20, 2025, that allows current or former federal employee-attorneys to apply for a limited license to practice law in New Mexico (Rule 15-310 NMRA of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar). The Court also approved amendments to Rule 15-303 NMRA that permit an attorney holding a limited license under Rule 15-310 to qualify for a reciprocal license, among other qualifications. The rule and amendments are effective June 1, 2025.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Supreme Court modified the Rules Governing the Admission to the Practice of Law in the State of Oklahoma on May 12, 2025, to limit the number of times an applicant can take the bar exam to five. The limit is effective as of July 2025 and is not retroactive. Applicants who have failed to pass after five attempts may request a one-time waiver for a sixth attempt.
People
California
Amy Nuñez, Program Director, Office of Admissions, for the State Bar of California, retired on May 16, 2025.
Maine
Four new members joined the Maine Board of Bar Examiners: Caitlyn S. Smith, Norman G. Trask, Elyse Segovias, Debra Baeder, PhD. Four members left the board following the expiration of their terms at the end of 2024: Dr. Andrew Wisch, Jennifer Nichols Ferguson, Alison Tozier, and Hon. John David Kennedy (ret.).
Michigan
Chief Justice Beth Clement stepped down from the Michigan Supreme Court on April 30, 2025. Justice Megan Cavanagh was unanimously chosen by her Supreme Court colleagues to take over the role. Her term as chief justice will run through 2026, when she will be eligible for reelection.
Michigan Board of Law Examiners member Jeffery Stuckey left the board after two five-year terms on June 30, 2025. New member Andrea LeGendre joined as of July 1 for a full term. LeGendre is Managing Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Genesee County.
New Jersey
Sahbra Smook Jacobs retired effective July 1, 2025, after serving for 18 years as Chief Counsel for the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Character. A replacement has not yet been named.
New Mexico
Loraine (“Rainie”) Summa, Finance Manager and Bar Exam Coordinator for the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners since 2020 has left the role as of June 12, 2025. She is being replaced by Jennifer Ellison, who has had a long career in law office billing and management. Ellison started with the board in mid-April.
Olga Serafimova left her role as board member December 31, 2024, due to retirement. Serafimova had served since January 1, 2017. A replacement has not yet been named.
New York
Jessica McClung was promoted to Deputy Executive Director and Daniel Bernstein was promoted to Senior Attorney effective April 15, 2025.
North Dakota
Justice Douglas A. Bahr is liaison justice to the North Dakota State Board of Bar Examiners as of May 1, 2025. Bahr has served on the North Dakota Supreme Court since 2023.
Oklahoma
The new chair for 2025 of the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners is Roger Rinehart. He has served on the board since 2012. The board also welcomed two new members: Karrisa Cottom, Vice President & General Counsel at Williams, and George Wright, Tribal Attorney for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Cottom and Wright join the board as Bryan Morris and Joel Wohlgemuth retire from the board.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court elected Dustin P. Rowe Chief Justice for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2025. Dana Kuehn was elected Vice Chief Justice for the same period. Rowe has been on the Supreme Court since 2019 and served as Vice Chief Justice since 2023. Kuehn was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2021.
Pennsylvania
Brigid Khuri joined the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners on June 10, 2025. Larry Moran, board chair, left on June 9 upon expiration of his term. Board members Mike Lutz and Emily Maher have become chair and vice chair, respectively.
Texas
Allison Drish, Director of Investigations for the Texas Board of Law Examiners, retired on June 30, 2025. She had been with the board since January 1997.
West Virginia
Jody Hughes is the new Deputy Bar Admissions Administrator for the West Virginia Board of Law Examiners. She replaces Missy Menefee, who left the position in late April 2025.
Wisconsin
Jill Karofsky is the new Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court effective July 1, 2025, after being elected by her colleagues on the court. Karofsky previously served as Director of Human Resources and Counsel for NCBE, having left NCBE in 2010 after over eight years of service with the organization. She has sat on the Supreme Court since 2020.
Wyoming
Chief Justice Kate Fox retired from the Wyoming Supreme Court, with Bridget Hill filling the court’s open seat effective May 25, 2025. Hill was Wyoming Attorney General since 2019. Justice Lynne J. Boomgaarden, who has been on the court since 2018, will be the new Chief Justice.
NCBE News
NCBE NextGen Standard-Setting Study
In May 2025, NCBE convened the NextGen Standard-Setting Study, a three-day workshop in Chicago to establish a recommended passing score for the NextGen UBE. The workshop brought together 84 expert panelists—judges, law school faculty, and practicing attorneys—from 40 jurisdictions across the country. Using established methodologies, including the Angoff and paper selection methods, participants evaluated how a minimally qualified candidate would perform on various components of the new exam set to debut in July 2026. A whole-exam evaluation using the Hofstee method provided an additional check on the reasonableness of the recommended standard. The outcomes of this process serve as a key piece of evidence to inform NCBE’s recommended passing score range, which jurisdictions can use to guide their decisions about passing standards.
For more information on standard setting, consult this Bar Examiner column by NCBE’s former Director of Testing and Research, Mark A. Albanese, PhD: thebarexaminer.ncbex.org/article/winter-2023-2024/the-testing-column-winter23/.
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