MADISON, WISCONSIN, February 13, 2024 —The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has announced the formation of the Family Law Content Scope Panel, which will develop the content outline specifying the breadth and depth of family law material that will be tested on the NextGen bar exam beginning in July 2028. The panel held its inaugural meeting last week.
Members of the panel are distinguished experts in family law from across the US. The panel members are:
- Naomi Cahn, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Distinguished Professor of Law, Co-Director, Family Law Center, University of Virginia School of Law
- Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Dean, Boston University School of Law
- Anna McKim, Shareholder and Board Certified Family Law Specialist, Field Manning Stone Hawthorne & Aycock (Lubbock, TX)
- Robyn Powell, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oklahoma Law
- June Carbone, Robina Chair in Law, Science and Technology, University of Minnesota School of Law
NCBE announced in October that family law would be added to the list of foundational concepts and principles to be tested on the NextGen bar exam, which will launch in July 2026. To give law schools and candidates ample time to prepare, doctrinal knowledge of family law will not be tested on the new exam prior to July 2028.
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About the National Conference of Bar Examiners
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1931. NCBE promotes fairness, integrity, and best practices in bar admissions for the benefit and protection of the public, in pursuit of its vision of a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession. Best known for developing bar exam content used by 54 US jurisdictions, NCBE serves admission authorities, courts, the legal education community, and candidates by providing high-quality assessment products, services, and research; character investigations; and informational and educational resources and programs. In 2026, NCBE will launch the next generation of the bar examination, ensuring that the exam continues to test the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for competent entry-level legal practice in a changing profession. For more information, visit the NCBE website at https://www.ncbex.org.
About the Next Generation of the Bar Exam
Set to debut in July 2026, the NextGen bar exam will test a broad range of foundational lawyering skills, utilizing a focused set of clearly identified fundamental legal concepts and principles needed in today’s practice of law. The skills and concepts to be tested were developed through a multi-year, nationwide legal practice analysis, focused on the most important knowledge and skills for newly licensed lawyers. Designed to balance the skills and knowledge needed in litigation and transactional legal practice, the exam will reflect many of the key changes that law schools are making today. NCBE is committed to ensuring a systematic, transparent, and collaborative implementation process, informed by input from and participation by stakeholders, and guided by best practices and the professional standards for high-stakes testing. For more information, visit https://nextgenbarexam.ncbex.org/ or https://www.ncbex.org/exams/nextgen.
